News (Media Awareness Project) - New Zealand: Wire: Stroke Victim In Turmoil After Cannabis |
| Title: | New Zealand: Wire: Stroke Victim In Turmoil After Cannabis |
| Published On: | 2003-05-13 |
| Source: | New Zealand Press Association (New Zealand Wire) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-20 07:40:50 |
STROKE VICTIM IN TURMOIL AFTER CANNABIS CONVICTION
A young Dunedin father's life changed 18 months ago when he was struck down
by a stroke.
Since then, the 32-year-old man has been wracked daily by shaking and
seizures, and says the only treatment that relieves his symptoms is cannabis.
However, since a conviction for cultivating cannabis last week, he does not
know what to do.
He was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months.
Speaking yesterday, the man and his wife, 38, who live at Look Out Point,
said they were struggling to cope with the demands of his medical condition.
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 wife 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 go out and find a supplier.
However, they found it expensive and decided to start "growing trials".
This came to an end last month when the police knocked on the door; the
couple believe the officers had been tipped off.
They found 11 cannabis plants in the house and another in the garden.
In court last week, 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.
A young Dunedin father's life changed 18 months ago when he was struck down
by a stroke.
Since then, the 32-year-old man has been wracked daily by shaking and
seizures, and says the only treatment that relieves his symptoms is cannabis.
However, since a conviction for cultivating cannabis last week, he does not
know what to do.
He was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months.
Speaking yesterday, the man and his wife, 38, who live at Look Out Point,
said they were struggling to cope with the demands of his medical condition.
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 wife 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 go out and find a supplier.
However, they found it expensive and decided to start "growing trials".
This came to an end last month when the police knocked on the door; the
couple believe the officers had been tipped off.
They found 11 cannabis plants in the house and another in the garden.
In court last week, 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.
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