Olivia Newton-John: Cannabis & Cancer
Olivia Newton-John, the world famous Australian actress and musician recently discussed her use of cannabis in what will be her third bought with cancer. The Grease star explained this past December that the breast cancer that she had successfully fought off in 1992 had come back and had spread to the base of her spine. Newton-John, who had battled a return of the disease only a few years ago in 2013, recently stated that she has turned to cannabis, which she was quoted as calling “magical, miracle plant,” as part of her ongoing cancer treatment during an interview on the Australian television program “Sunday Night.”
Newton-John was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 having undergone a partial mastectomy along with chemotherapy for treatment. The cancer returned in 2013 where it had spread to her shoulder. Then in 2017 she postponed several of her international tour performances due to serious back pain. Later in the year, fans saw a post on her Facebook page which revealed the cause of her pain and that additional performances needed to be rescheduled. The message stated “Olivia Newton-John is reluctantly postponing her June U.S. and Canadian concert tour dates…The back pain that initially caused her to postpone the first half of her concert tour, has turned out to be breast cancer that has metastasized to the sacrum. In addition to natural wellness therapies, Olivia will complete a short course of photon radiation therapy and is confident she will be back later in the year, better than ever, to celebrate her shows.”
However the pop star has been in good company during this trying time as her husband, John Easterling, is an herbalist, founder of the Amazon Herb Company, and grows marijuana on their California ranch where it is perfectly legal to do so for both recreational and medicinal reasons. Newton-John went on to explain that the pain she experiences is difficult for her to manage and can at time hamper her mobility. “My husband’s a plant medicine man so he grew cannabis and made tinctures for me for pain and inflammation,” adding “The pain was the hardest thing…I can walk, but I can’t go long distances.” She also stated that “It helped me a lot with pain because I don’t like taking prescription drugs,” preferring the use of cannabis to treat her all too frequent pain. My husband’s always there,” she said. “He’s always there to support me, and I believe I will win over it and that’s my goal.”
Newton-John also spoke about just how appreciative she is of living in California where marijuana use and cultivation have been legalized saying “In California, it’s legal to grow a certain amount of plants for your own medicinal purposes…I’m very lucky that I live in a state where it’s legal and that I have a husband who is a plant-medicine man.” She also went on to advocate for access to medicinal marijuana for everyone saying that “It’s kind and compassionate…It’s what should be available for everybody to use.” We wish her all the best in her battle and allowing the public to learn more about how cannabis has helped her.
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