CANNABIS RISKY RELIEF FROM STROKE EFFECTS

A Lookout Point man's life changed 18 months ago when he suffered a stroke.
Now, the 32-year-old is racked daily by shaking and seizures.

The man and his wife (38) say they struggle to get through the weeks as the
demands of his medical condition take precedence.

The husband, who was previously a self-employed shearer, is unable to work
and his wife has had to leave her job in order to care for him, after he
underwent brain surgery to remove a blood clot the size of an egg from his
head.

Epilepsy drugs appeared to do little to stop the fits, the couple said.

An Epilepsy Association field officer quietly advised the couple marijuana
was sometimes effective in treating the symptoms of epilepsy and they
decided to give it a go.

"I didn't know what was happening to my husband. I did not know what else
to do," the woman said.

The man, who speaks and moves with the characteristic slowness of a stroke
victim, admitted a joint was the only treatment which had appeared to help
relieve his symptoms, which also included headaches and severe stomach pain.

"It makes me calm. I don't feel like I am going mental," he said.

The pair had both dabbled in cannabis before, but were not frequent users
and had to find a supplier.

However, they found it expensive and decided to start "growing trials".

This came to an end last month, when police found 11 cannabis plants in
their house and another in the garden.

In court, Judge David Saunders heard submissions from defence lawyer Joanne
Westgate, who outlined the man's medical background, its effect on his
finances and his ability to return to work. The judge accepted the man had
the cannabis for medical purposes, not recreational reasons, and was having
counselling. But, while he had "every sympathy", he could not condone the
offending, he said.

The man was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon
within 12 months.

Yesterday, the woman said the couple, who were not growing cannabis at
present, did not know what to do now.

"It's a bit scary to think about doing it again, but we have not had time
to think about what else to do.

"There's not a lot we can do. We can't afford other types of expensive
service," she said.

"If that's what works for us, we should be left alone. We aren't doing
anyone any harm and we haven't got a lot going for us at the moment."