Lisa's Story: In her own words, a real inspiration

High Wife have sat down and interviewed Lisa about her life; past, present and future. The challenges she has faced along the way and continues to face daily. This interview was so important to us as it gives us honest opinions and a true insight into the lack of education and progression within the the UK and the use of medical cannabis which is affecting peoples quality of life and making daily life in some cases, unbearable. We strongly believe to withhold a plant that has such beneficial properties is inhumane and in a perfect world the government should be held responsible for doing this. It is widely seen in this country that if you are considered higher class you have a greater chance of not being penalised for cannabis, which itself shows cannabis is only seen as a money maker to most of those in higher power, rather than a medicine. We are honored to share her story and we hope you enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you.

Firstly can you tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with cannabis? I'm Lisa, 47 from Sheffield and started smoking cannabis 29 years as recreational use after work, before I was diagnosed with multiple illnesses - I previously worked full time as a hairdresser with my own salon. What do you use medical cannabis for? Even though I previously used cannabis for recreational reasons I now recognise that this also had its health benefits in regards to my mental health and keeping it in check. I was born with differences that affect my hands and arms - age 41 I get diagnosed with heart failure, inherited heart disease, severe cervical Spondylosis, Severe Periodontal disease caused by genetics, Holt-Oram Syndrome, Livedo Reticularis (Auto Immune Disease), and Raynards Disease along with being placed on the National Genetics Database for rare and undiagnosed illness and disease - the 100,000 Genomes project was a British initiative to sequence and study the role our genes play in health and disease. Because I was born with hand differences as soon as my heart conditions were diagnosed, I was instantly diagnosed as having Holt-Oram Syndrome - Holt-Oram Syndrome is a disorder that affects approximately 1 in 100,000 individuals. About 75% of individuals with Holt-Oram have heart (cardiac) problems, which can be life-threatening including cardiac conduction disease, or abnormalities in the electrical system of the heart. Holt-Oram Syndrome is caused by genetic changes (pathogenic variants) in the TBX5 gene. I use medical cannabis to enable me to function as well as I possibly can and live a normal life as possible. Without cannabis I would be in extreme pain with my neck and back as well as suffering with constant muscle fatigue in my legs. Without cannabis I would be feeling constantly nauseated which impacts directly on my appetite and makes eating even more difficult. Because my heart condition and gene abnormality were diagnosed late and myself not being under the NHS radar, it's had knock on effects with other parts of my body including Severe Periodontitis - due to genetics not poor dental hygiene! I have always looked after my teeth, never needed work doing (fillings, braces etc) and always had regular dental check ups, but because my TBX5 gene is faulty I've been told to expect to lose all my teeth as the bone in my jaw is being attacked & deteriorating due to connective tissue problems, which also means I am losing my bite strength and smile. It's physically impossible for me to bite through a sandwich now so my diet and food choices is also very limited now. Which makes eating and enjoying food almost impossible. Without cannabis encouraging my appetite I would find eating food extremely difficult & painful during a flare up, (the TBX5 gene provides instructions for making protein called Tbox 5 that plays an important role in the formation of tissues organs, this protein regulates the activity of other genes by attaching (binding) itself to specific regions of DNA. On the basis of this action, the Tbox 5 protein is called a transcription factor. Periodontitis encompasses a group of conditions characterised by progressive destruction of connective tissue and tooth-supporting structures including the gingiva, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Apart from my dental problems making i difficult for me to meet my dietary requirements (I receive a prescription for food supplement drinks) its also having a huge effect on my mental health and anxiety issues, involving social anxiety because my physical appearance is drastically changing (I don't like how I look now and I'm aware of the perception/judgement of me to assume I have just never brushed my teeth or been to a dentist in my life. I understand this, I understand this is peoples first impressions and it is very difficult to cope with, live with and come to terms with. Even though its not through any fault of my own, it doesn't make living with it any easier. Without cannabis I literally wouldn't be able to live any sort of normal life, not just for my physical difficulties, pain and appetite management; it also helps massively with my anxiety, PTSD and depression. It keeps my mental health as good as possible, because without it I don't think I would be able to cope with the physical changes that is happening to me or deal with the thoughts of what the future might bring. Cannabis also enables me to sleep well as possible due to my cervical spondylosis in my neck, cannabis is my glue. Which strains have you found have helped the most with symptoms caused by particular diseases? I prefer to smoke anything strong and skunky! I have a very high tolerance therefore need strong cannabis to feel the benefits and get a decent nights sleep. This also has a drastic effect on my Livedo Reticularis - which almost vanishes completely with a good, strong cannabis strain! Without cannabis the motting on my skin is horrendous. I have secondary LR which causes a permanent net like pattern on my skin (not from cold weather). The UK are the worlds largest exporter of medical cannabis but deny its citizens access but will happily sell this medication back to our own NHS service for the price five times the price of gold. Sativex which is only suitable for a limited amount and very difficult to be granted a prescription. I believe the government are earning too much profit off it and rely heavily on propaganda and criminalising individuals, I can't personally see the law changing in my life time.

How have you found obtaining medical cannabis with a legal prescription? I've previously tried the legal prescription route to obtain medical cannabis, but I don't fit the criteria because of my heart issues and complexity of over-lapping conditions, so that isn't a possibility for me. But once you've been in the judiciary system for a victimless offence it opens your eyes and makes you extremely cautious of any sort of 'establishment', especially for 'legal' cannabis suppliers. Who are they sharing your information with? Who regulates them? Geographical map of 'patients' makes you wonder. I think it's difficult to obtain it through these clinics due to the lack of research cannabis has on different medical health conditions and the qualifying criteria that is needed. I'd like to see more research on wider range of illnesses alongside ongoing medical trials to document the effects cannabis has. This would then automatically make the qualifying criteria more inclusive along with having documented research on benefits for new conditions and therefore actively participating in changing the perception about cannabis and the benefits. It is difficult for me to advise anyone else who is trying to access 'legal' clinics as I can't access through this way either, but suppose all I can say is, keep trying, keep asking questions - reasons why you have been denied access, ask if there is an alternative way, and if all else fails grow your own! Last but not least, what have you done personally to try and change the views on cannabis in this country, and have you anymore plans to continue trying to break the stigma in Britain? I'm trying constantly to try and change the view/stigma surrounding cannabis. Technically I am a criminal as I have a criminal record for growing but we have to stop looking at people as 'bad' and 'criminal' when we are forced to access it illegally in that way. Smoking cannabis doesn't make you a bad person! I try to live my life as compassionately as I can and as a honest person with integrity. I'm not ashamed of being branded a criminal and have vowed to continue to grow my own, which I openly share online. I don't believe or agree that I should hide away and point blank refuse to. I've been really lucky and have been approached by several media outlets both online and tabloid press about my story and I could never not share. Any chances more people could potentially read my story along with the discrimination I experienced, how outdated the current cannabis law is, how much corruption surrounds the government, police, CPS and the way probation tar you with the same brush but have no concessions for victimless offences, I will keep shouting about it! Written by Laura Bartlett, interviewing Lisa Midds Criminal By Default 14/02/2023