Young man suffering rare condition makes desperate plea to NSW parliament to legalise cannabis oil
A young Sydney man suffering with a rare medical condition has called on the NSW state parliament to make access easier to the illegal drug that saved his life.
Ben Oakley, 20, has struggled for the past three years with a condition known as Stiff Person Syndrome.
The illness causes fits and spasms, which can last for hours on end.
Mr Oakley said his only relief has come from cannabis oil.
It reduced the pain, reduced the spasms, and he believes it saved his life.
“Every time I go into a spasm I don't know if I am going to live or not... and that's not something easy to think about,” he told 7 News.
"It's incredible how much it [cannabis oil] can change people's lives - not just for the rarer conditions."
Cannabis oil is illegal in Australia and by using the product to help keep him alive, Mr Oakley risks the chance of being arrested.
"I can be arrested for something which has changed my life. Which has saved my life. How stupid is that?"
The proud campaigner took his fight to the NSW parliament on Tuesday with the goal of ‘pushing forward’ to get the green light for the medication.
He is one of only 4500 people in the world with Stiff Person Syndrome and one of just 20 in Australia.
There is no cure for the syndrome and Mr Oakley’s father said they were prepared for the worst.
"Twelve months ago I was expecting to put my son in a box. The condition he has should have killed him hundreds of times before now," Matthew Oakley said.
He is supporting his son in the fight to have the treatment legalised.
“Conditions like arthritis can be treated with a small of cannabis in the right way - why is it illegal? It's madness."
Mr Oakley is now aiming for ten thousand signatures so his petition can be debated in parliament.
To sign the petition, click here.
News break – March 15
