Olivia Newton-John’s Quest to Bring Cannabis Down Under

“It’s a plant that has been maligned for so long and has so many abilities to heal,” says the Australian cancer-survivor

Olivia Newton-John
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Olivia Newton-John survived cancer once and, with its return this past May, she plans on kicking it again. With that determination comes a drive to bring relief to those in her homeland of Australia who suffer the same physical pain of cancer that she has lived through. Her goal: make cannabis easily accessible Down Under.

Twenty-five years ago, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. In May, she learned that the cancer had returned, but this time it was rooted in a bone at the base of her spine. Although she has had radiation treatment, she’s also used various holistic remedies, including marijuana.

“I use medicinal cannabis, which is really important for pain and healing,” she told Australia’s Daily Telegraph. “It’s a plant that has been maligned for so long, and has so many abilities to heal.”

Cannabis is legal and easily attainable in California, where the “Grease” star lives, but getting it in Australia is a little trickier. Medicinal cannabis was legalized there earlier this year, but it requires permission, which not only is a drawn-out, complex process, but finding the plant itself is difficult.

“I will do what I can to encourage it,” she says. “It’s an important part of treatment, and it should be available. I use it for the pain and it’s also a medicinal thing to do — the research shows it’s really helpful.”

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