I’m speaking up now because I’ve reached an age where society tends to write you off, but I’m not done. I’ve lived a full, complex life, raised five kids, worked across the public and private sectors, completed a variety of qualifications, and built a career I’m proud of. And through it all, cannabis has been a support, not a hindrance.

I first tried cannabis as a teenager in Darwin and became a regular user early on. Like many, I preferred it over alcohol, less chaos, calmer. Over the years, my relationship with cannabis has shifted. There have been long stretches where I didn’t use it at all, and other times when it’s been an important support. In the periods I did consume, it helped with anxiety, sleep, and staying grounded.

When I was in a challenging home environment with young children, cannabis helped me manage stress without numbing me like alcohol did. While alcohol made it easier to fall apart, cannabis helped me hold things together, whether it was managing the household, tending the garden, or simply getting through the day with a sense of calm.

I’ve also seen the dangers of criminalisation up close. Friends jailed for making poor decisions as teenagers. Someone losing their job because they consumed of a night. Being raided myself after a break-in, where I was injured while protecting my property, even while legally prescribed. I’ve had to navigate jobs where random drug testing threatened my career, not because I was impaired at work, but because the law doesn’t distinguish between use and misuse.

I was first prescribed medicinal cannabis in 2021 after leaving a toxic government workplace on Work Cover for mental health. It was a pivotal moment, and I started a new chapter and haven’t looked back.

Today, I’m part of a start-up medicinal cannabis farm and still working in HR. I’m also a candidate, campaigner and Treasurer for Legalise Cannabis QLD. I’m not hiding anymore, but the risk is still real. Despite doing everything right, I worry every day that I could lose my licence, my job, or my ability to contribute to the community simply for using a medicine that works better for me than any prescription or glass of wine ever did.

This isn’t about wanting special treatment. It’s about fairness. It’s about ending a system that punishes ordinary people for making safer, healthier choices. I’m speaking up so others don’t have to wait until they’ve got nothing left to lose.