MARGARET TRUDEAU SPEAKS CANDIDLY ABOUT QUITTING MARIJUANA

Quitting cannabis has been an important part of her recovery from
mental illness, Margaret Trudeau said yesterday at a news conference
in Vancouver for the Canadian Mental Health conference.

Mrs. Trudeau suffers from bipolar disorder. She spoke with reporters
about her experience with depression and the effect of her marijuana use.

"I loved marijuana. I was a hippie in the '60s," she said. "I took to
it like a duck to water. Strawberry Fields Forever and all that."

Mrs. Trudeau, who will be the keynote speaker at the Vancouver
conference, said one of the difficulties is the stigma associated
with mental illness. "Every time I was hospitalized it was preceded
by heavy use of marijuana."