I proudly served in the Australian Army as a Combat Engineer with 39 Construction Squadron, part of 22 Construction Regiment.

During my service, I began experiencing memory problems, seizures and other neurological symptoms. In 2009, I was diagnosed with Mesial Temporal Sclerosis (epilepsy), which ultimately ended my Defence career.

When medications failed to control my seizures, I underwent a left temporal lobectomy at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2011, where part of my left temporal lobe was surgically removed.

By around 2013, I was seizure-free and regained my driver’s licence. However, I was still dealing with severe depression, anxiety and ongoing headaches while taking a combination of medications including Lamotrigine, Epilim, Keppra, Seroquel, Escitalopram and Valium, as well as daily Panadol and aspirin.

Despite taking this combination of medications, I was legally allowed to drive.

By 2015–16, my seizures had returned, along with sleeplessness, anger, depression, balance problems and shaking. I experienced seizures severe enough to require induced comas, and my wife Bianca has twice found me unconscious from seizures.

After exhausting other options, I turned to medicinal cannabis.

Since starting cannabis, I have experienced only four seizure events in eight years. My anxiety is controlled, the shaking and stuttering have stopped, and I no longer take antidepressants.

Medicinal cannabis has made an enormous difference to my quality of life — but the driving laws continue to punish patients like me.

Veterans need to drive to medical appointments, meet and support other veterans, work and manage everyday life. Many of us continue to rely on each other long after our service ends.

I want to see medicinal cannabis driving laws based on impairment, not simply the presence of THC.

Veterans who have served their country — and all medicinal cannabis patients — should not be punished for taking legally prescribed medication when they are not impaired.