What would you do if the only medicine that seemed to help your mental health condition was illegal?
Would you try to get it and risk running breaking the law?
That was the dilemma facing Matt, a chronic anxiety sufferer from Logan.
He didn’t like the side effects that came with anti-anxiety medications.
Until recently he had been getting cannabis from the black market.
“I was just out and about getting it off the streets,” he said.
“On the street you get what you’re given.”
There are hundreds of cannabinoid chemicals in the marijuana plant.
There is a difference in the medical grade product and marijuana that’s sold illegally
Australia’s stance on medicinal cannabis has changed in the past few years with the Therapeutic Goods Administration allowing a limited number of doctors to prescribe it.
One of those is Dr Guy Wright, who started working with patients at Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services in Beenleigh early this year.
“It was very easy to get a prescription,” Matt said.
“Easier than I thought it would be, I thought it would be a struggle.”
Dr Wright is aware of which products are most effective for each condition and for Matt it was a great relief to know the product he is getting is what’s best for his mental health.
“Now I can go to bed at night and not be a criminal,” Matt said.
“I don’t have to stress. I don’t have to worry about anything.”
Matt uses a small amount of the medicinal flowers in a vaporiser each morning and night to manage his condition.
“I’ve cut down on what I use, I used to smoke a lot more but this stuff is a lot better quality so I end up using a lot less,” he said
Matt feels calmer, healthier and a lot more stable.
He’s managing his mental health, he’s in control and feeling more motivated.
“I didn’t have any get up and go or any energy but now I feel like I can really give life a go,” he said.
