23 December 07 - 08:59
Medical Cannabis Awareness Campaign
Day 1 of Medical Cannabis Awareness in Coffs Harbour, NSW. - High Street (see photos at end of article).
The day far surpassed what we even expected. In the first 2 hours over 100 people stopped and read our display boards (containing studies, quotes, statistics, various illnesses and how medical cannabis is a benefit to them, etc.) with the majority wanting to ask questions and learn more. We did not have even one negative response. Practically everybody had either used or was using Medical cannabis for themselves to help them manage their illnesses/disorders, or they knew of people who were (close family members, other relatives, friends, acquaintances etc).
One elderly man told me that although he didn't use it, if he feels he needs it to control (for instance) pain in the future, then he believes he should have the option to do so. Two ex-nurses separately stopped to tell us that Cannabis was the best therapeutic medicine ever and that it should be made available right now to people who need it.
We had hoped to be down the Mall a few times more before Christmas as this is a very important topic and one that must not be cast aside and people have been very interested in learning more. The Government have been trying to ignore it for far too long, and they (and others) need to know that people are standing up for what they believe in when it comes to making their own personal choice of medication. Cannabis has been applied as a medicine for the past 6,000 years and it is only since the mid 1950's that Cannabis has been deemed 'useless', 'not needed', 'unnecessary' and the testimonies of Medical Cannabis patients deemed 'anecdotal'.
Unfortunately, on our second Day we ran into a 'problem'. We once again set up our Medical Cannabis Campaign in Coffs Harbour. Within 30 minutes of setting up, we had 25 signatures on our petition and people were, once again, very interested in the subject. Comments such as, 'It should be legal. It's the best pain medication ever", "My mother has been using it for the past 10 years to stop the pain she goes through" (mother being 80 now), "It's the only thing that stops my tremors. I have Parkinsons", were spoken of.
Security guards walked by, a police car drove by and the policeman glanced over but kept going, and we were not being a bother to anyone walking along.
However, one woman stopped, read some of the articles written on the boards and then started on at us about 'marijuana' and the evils of it. We told her that we were not talking about recreational use, only medical use. However, from then on we got a tirade of negative comments, and although she asked us questions she really didn''t want to know the answer (as they say, 'she didn't want to be confused with the facts') and continued on her abusive path towards verbally attacking us. She was the first person to actually be against even the use of Cannabis for medication. As far as she was concerned, it was the most evil thing on earth and couldn't be used appropriately etc. and that whoever used it (even medicinally) would eventually become mental.
She eventually walked off, only to phone the Ranger who had to do his job and come and move us on. He mentioned that he had only got the one complaint and although it didn't personally bother him, he had to move us on because we didn't have a permit. As we were packing up we noticed her sitting across the road watching us with a big smile on her face, then chatting to someone else and pointing over at us. Later, we saw her again and once again - big grin on her face when she looked at us.
So sad.....we had such wonderful talks with approx. 150 really nice people, in the 3 hours on Day 1 and the 30 minutes on Day 2 that we were there for, who stated that they were glad to see someone out with a medical cannabis awareness project and that it was very needed. However, it did not daunt us, and made us more determined than ever to get the message out in Coffs Harbour.
Thankfully, another venue opened up to us, so on Day 3 of our campaign we were invited to set ourselves up at the Harbour Side Markets. Firstly we would like to say a big thankyou to the organisers of the markets. A wonderful location, nicely set out, friendly stall holders and a wonderful atmosphere. If you haven't been there yet, then we would suggest you do as it makes for a pleasant day out on a Sunday (very close to the Marina and the beach) with various craft stalls, jewellery stalls, clothing stalls, food stalls, vegetable stalls, music etc.
We had nothing but positive comments from people and many shared their own testimonies with us on how cannabis has helped them in their medical needs, and others shared how either close friends or family members had or were still using it for their medical needs. So far, 4 nurses & ex nurses have mentioned how they believe that Cannabis is the best medication for palliative care and other medicinal needs. In the U.S and Canada (at least) there are a large number of nursing body groups that are trying to lobby for medical cannabis to be made available as a legal medication.
Day 4 of our campaign (also down at the Markets) was just as fruitful, with many people coming up to us to not only read the poster boards, but also to ask questions.
Next year, we hope to hire a hall and invite as many people as we can to come along for a discussion and learning experience on the subject of Medical Cannabis Awareness. If this subject is important to you, we would hope that you will stay in touch and come along to the meeting. Meanwhile, if you have anything to contribute, articles, quotes, studies, web pages, etc. or would just like to make a comment on what you have read and heard so far, or to ask questions, please either leave a message in the comments section, or write to us at our email address. Perhaps you also belong to a community group that would be/are interested in the subject of medical cannabis. We would love to come along and have a chat to people and answer any questions.
To all those who have stopped by to speak to us and to read the display boards, thankyou. And, it was really nice to meet you all.
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