The Medical Cannabis Awareness charity has just been launched – see Medical Cannabis Awareness. Shane le Brun is been heavily onvolved with this – he has posted here at Your NZ in the past and still pops in to comment.
Use of medical cannabis in particular and use of cannabis generally is getting a lot of attention in New Zealand and in other parts of the world. Peter Dunne along with a New Zealand contingent is currently attending the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) in New York.
The media have picked up medical cannabis as a topic and have been giving it a lot of coverage over the last few months, helped by high profile stories involving Paul Holmes, Martin Crowe and Helen Kelly.
So the launch of MC Awareness is well timed to pick up on this interest, and they are getting some good coverage.
One News: Kiwi medical cannabis charity registered
An organisation looking to fundraise for New Zealand’s medical cannabis users has become a registered charity.
Radio NZ: NZ’s first medical cannabis charity
New Zealand’s first medical cannabis charity want to help pay for patients to get legally available medical cannabis.
Stuff: NZ’s first medicinal cannabis charity fundraising for 10 patients to get treatment
New Zealand’s first medicinal cannabis charity is fundraising to provide patients with the unfunded drugs.
Medical Cannabis Awareness New Zealand (MCANZ) became a registered charity on Friday. Coordinator Shane Le Brun said it had launched a fundraising campaign, initially to fund Sativex for 10 patients.
NZ City: Medical cannabis charity registered
An organisation looking to fundraise for New Zealand’s medical cannabis users has become a registered charity.
Medical Cannabis Awareness New Zealand launched this week with the goals of raising awareness and advocating for the treatment, along with getting together funds for those already using it.
The charity – the country’s first for medical cannabis – says about 30 Kiwis currently have a prescription to one cannabis treatment, Sativex, but it can cost more than $1000 a month to acquire because it’s not Pharmac-funded.
“The cost of Sativex is a huge barrier. Already, many people have had successful crowd funding campaigns for this medicine, and MCANZ will promote and assist such fundraising through its tax-deductible status,” MCANZ co-ordinator Shane Le Brun said.
The group wants to initially raise enough money through its Givealittle page to support treatment for 10 new patients.
Newshub: Desperate families get behind marijuana charity
Pressure is mounting on the Government to cut red tape for those who want to access medicinal marijuana.
A group of desperate families are speaking out as they launch a charity to raise money and awareness in the battle for Sativex.
Newshub: Medicinal marijuana charity launched
Momentum is growing in the battle for access to medicinal marijuana, with a group of Kiwis launching a new charity.
Shane Le Brun founded “MC Awareness” to raise money and support for those who want Sativex, the only approved medicinal cannabis product, after watching his wife suffer for years with chronic back pain.
Shane Le Brun says there’s still a lot of stigma attached to prescribing Sativex, as doctors don’t want to be seen as dope enthusiasts.
This story has featured ongoing on the Paul Henry show this morning.
Shane and his team have put a lot of effort into establishing a practical means of achieving something practical to help people who would benefit from the use of Sativex.
Their Givealittle page: Medical Cannabis for 10 Patients
Fundraising for Sativex for 10 needy people in New Zealand. Conditions such as Epilepsy, Cancer, and Chronic Pain.
A fundraising pool of 10 patients, who will be revealed in due course,
First up is Jamie,
At 5 weeks of age Jamie O’mara suffered a massive intracranial hemorrhage. This left him severely brain damaged and in need of constant care. This was attributable to Jamie not receiving a Vitamin K injection at birth.
As a result of his brain damage Jamie developed severe epilepsy, which was poorly controlled by numerous anti-epileptic drugs.
At 24 years of age, in 2008, with no other avenue in sight, Jamie finally underwent hemispherectomy (removal of half his brain) This finally rid him of some seizures & as a result, a better quality of life but a lot of seizures still remained day & night.
Jamie is now 32 years old. He recently began to suffer massive aspirations during tonic clonic seizures prompting medical staff to tell the family Jamie wouldn’t make it through one night. Jamie defied all odds and survived this massive aspiration on his own, even after doctors refused him life support. Jamie is a true battler.
The only remaining option is to try Medical Cannabis. After a lengthy wait, Jamie had his first spray of Sativex this week. Time is needed now to show how effective it will be. Please seriously consider this family’s plea for help. For a family who has been so desperate to alleviate their son’s seizures that they even agreed to partial removal of his brain, their request for financial support with Sativex can only be seen as reasonable.