A posthumous letter to Pat

�Dear Grandad it has been nearly two years now since you left us and so many things have changed in my life. I thought I would drop you a line and let you know a few of the things that I have discovered since the cancer took you.

�Earlier this year myself and a group of others decided to form the NZMCC. This is an organisation of like-minded people who are interested in promoting the medicinal uses of cannabis.

Because of my involvement in the nzmcc I have learnt a great deal that could have helped you.

�Although grandad you were never a candidate for chemotherapy, the reason I�m not sure of, probably your age was against you, you could of used cannabis as an aid to counter act the side effects of the chemo.

�Never the less all the family saw changes both in your physical and mental state of well being, due to the medication you were on for pain.

�At first when you had opiates you also had a bad reaction and would regularly hallucinate. After your body became use to the morphine things were worst. You would nod off mid sentence and some days you would spend hour�s asleep sitting upright on the couch. Except the one time burst in startling you. You awoke with such a fright you stood before your legs were awake and proceeded in spectacular fashion to keel over, we could laugh at the time but its just another example of the effects of the morphine and its hold on you.

�Then there was the fixation that you had to go to the toilet each day. I know it disturbed you when you couldn�t, but once again it was a side effect of the morph they gave you for pain.

�The more I read about medicinal cannabis the more convinced I am that you could of benefited through most of your illness using medicinal cannabis as an effective pain reliever or at least to assist with lower your dose of morphine.

�Either way you would have been more aware of your environment and been able to maintain a little regularity if you know what I mean.

�So grandad rest in peace knowing that there is a group of people here in NZ and world wide as well, who are willing to bring this new/ old truth back into the light of day for inspection, and more importantly to give people what we believe is a healthy alternative to what is presently available legally.

�That's it from me at the moment mate. Where ever you are I hope you are well and comfortable

�Love Duanne