Friend’s ‘brotherly chat’ helped overcome stigma

“Dan and I were pretty much old souls. It felt like we had known each other for many years,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones was lucky to survive the insidious disease, but Dan tragically passed away on Tuesday afternoon,

surrounded by his family in his East Tamworth home.

Dan’s legacy as a crusader for medical marijuana has been honoured by politicians, media personalities, community members and fellow medical cannabis advocates alike.

But the story behind the campaign to legalise the drug for the dying begins with Mr Jones.

It was he who introduced medical cannabis to Dan, who was “initially resistant” to the idea.

Mr Jones said he was “scared” at first to mention the controversial drug, not knowing how Dan and his family would react.

“It has such a stigma behind it,” Mr Jones said. “But I know what it did it for me.

“My partner helped me when I couldn’t help myself. I was so violently ill I could not keep food down, I had diarrhoea so bad I was dehydrated.

“I know it made a reduction of the oxycontin I had to take ... so I had less problems with my bowel and could hold

food down.”

Cannabis gave Dan relief from pain, crippling nausea and lack of appetite from chemotherapy, which lead him

and his family to lead an impassioned campaign for its legalisation with the support of the Tamworth community.

Mr Jones fondly remembered a “friendly, brotherly chat” he had with Dan while sitting at Tamworth’s lookout,

staring out onto the city.

It was a time when Dan was going through a lot, both mentally and physically, and Mr Jones told him the opioid

pain medication he was taking was doing far more harm than marijuana would.

“Because he knew my background was in fitness and health and wellness, I think that helped,” Mr Jones said.

“It was not about drug use, it was about medicine.

“It was just about doing everything you could possibly think of to help someone you care about to not suffer

anymore.”

Mr Jones said the Haslams had never been in it for themselves, but for those whose communities and police forces

were not as supportive as Tamworth had been.

“This needs to be legalised. He needs a legacy, so that people don’t have to suffer needlessly,” he said.

“The Haslams were never doing this for them. They were fighting for everyone else.

“It’s time for the government to step up and stop people suffering.”