Pubdate: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Copyright: 2003 News Limited Contact: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/187 Author: Danielle Wood Cited: The Country Women's Association of Tasmania http://www.key.org.au/cwa/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) CWA IN MARIJUANA SHOCK THE Country Women's Association has caused shockwaves in Tasmania by voting to lobby for medical trials of marijuana as a painkiller. Retired pharmacist and lifetime CWA member Ailsa Bond, 80, was surprised at the unanimous support for her motion at this week's state conference. Mrs Bond said she prescribed a liquid tincture of marijuana early in her career, in the 1940s. She said that was before recreational use of the drug became a huge problem in the US. "Methadone can be controlled as a treatment for heroin addicts, why couldn't cannabis (marijuana) be controlled too," Mrs Bond asked. She had only handwritten notes to pass out after the vote, having not to typed them because she expected the motion to be defeated. Ruth (not her real name) told how her husband cried in pain as he died of cancer but couldn't use morphine. He became so fragile that he broke a rib while reaching over to turn off a radio. "The pain was all through his body, and to him, morphine was a poison," Ruth said. "It made him so dreadfully ill, he couldn't keep food down. He wasted away to just 48kg. "The doctors tried so many other painkillers, and every anti-nausea drug known to man, but nothing worked. It wasn't just the pain, it was the indignity." Ruth read overseas studies about the use of marijuana for pain relief and thought it might be just the thing. But her doctor said he couldn't prescribe it. "Of course it might not have helped my husband, but it may have done," she said. "What harm could there be in trialling it? "I feel very strongly about this. People don't realise the absolute horror of watching someone you love in so much pain. Another CWA member Helen (not her real name), who is nursing a husband with war-related health problems, said the South Australian and ACT governments allowed a small number of plants to be grown for personal use. "If I could, I would. I would grow a few plants and make sure nobody could get to them," she said. "You just can't imagine the sense of hopelessness . . . when someone is suffering like this and something that might help is beyond your reach." Mrs Bond joined the CWA in 1947 and said it had always been progressive organisation. "We've been raising issues for 60 or 70 years," she said. "We've talked about the value of water, the importance of trees. "We lobbied for childcare centres, for roads, for hospitals and libraries. "We have an image that all we do is have tea and scones, but we've always been outspoken." In response to the CWA motion, the Tasmanian Government said there was no plan to legalise medicinal use of marijuana unless it was part of national reform - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake