Medical marijuana on a roll: how cannabis oil changed Ben Saunderson's life

Alex Morris

 

 

Pain saver: Cannabis oil user Ben Saunderson holding the product he legally obtains for pain relief. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

 

Lately, cannabis oil is on (or under) the tips' of everyone's tongues. As the Australian government works to make the drug legally more accessible medically, states in the US move to increase its legality, too. Meanwhile the hemp industry (a completely different product derived from the same plant family) booms, producing everything from fashion to houses.

It's fascinating the rapid developments that are taking place worldwide. Sometimes its decriminalisation, (Mexico, Colombia, Israel) sometimes it's for medical purposes (Norway, Czech Republic, Peru) and sometimes it's a free for all, (Canada, Uruguay, South Africa).

In NSW, any person who thinks medicinal cannabis would be of use to them should speak to their doctor, as that's the only legal way to access it - get a medical script.

SPINAL CORD CONDITION

Ben Saunderson lives at Point Frederick in East Gosford on the Central Coast. After dealing with a spinal cord condition for the last three years, he's been legally using cannabis for the last 14 months.

He has had only positive results, so he's considering a stronger dose with less applications.

"It's really changed my life," he says of cannabis. "I've got a condition called Arachnoiditis; (previously) we were throwing a lot of meds at me and getting frustrated with what pharmaceuticals weren't able to do."

Arachnoiditis is a pain disorder caused by the inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surrounds and protects the nerves of the spinal cord. It is characterized by severe stinging, burning pain, and neurological problems.

Saunderson takes a Canadian product, an oil called CanniMed 10:10 with an even ratio of THC and CBD. He got a script for the product through Dr Hasher Kadavil of Northern Integrated Pain Management clinic.

Saunderson started using the oil and also dropping his opioids by 90 percent, as he was previously on methadone and then Endone.

"We allowed 12 weeks to start priming my cannabinoid system, so you just introduce the product slowly. It was at the end of last year. Now the opioids are gone, and it's just cannabis," he says.

CanniMed comes in a 60ml bottle. Starting from first thing in the morning, Saunderson places the oil on his tongue approximately three times a day.

With his doctor's approval, Saunderson has also recently started using ketamine in conjunction with cannabis.

In a video interview with the Newcastle Herald, Saunderson says he'd sell his house if he had to in order to keep buying cannabis oil to give him pain relief.