Blind man shops himself in bid to legalise medicinal cannabis

A blind man who turned himself in to gardaí as a cannabis user to call for legalisation of the drug for medical purposes has urged others to join his campaign by also turning themselves over to the law.

Mark Fitzsimons says he will use his time in court to highlight the dilemma for people who use cannabis to alleviate medical conditions but live in fear of getting a criminal record.

“I want to challenge the law, but people like me don’t have the money to take civil cases. They’re priced out of it. So using the criminal court is my way of getting a chance to speak out for the changes that should be made to the law.”

Mr Fitzsimons, aged 30, has suffered from the incurable eye condition, glaucoma, since birth, and discovered by chance as a teenager that smoking joints eased the pain he suffered daily. “Not only that, but glaucoma causes pressure on the eye that eventually destroys your sight, and when I started researching this I discovered that cannabis actually reduces the pressure so it treats the condition, not just the pain.

“It was too late for me — I’ve lost both my eyes — but there are other people with glaucoma who still have their eyes and this could save what’s left of their sight.”

Advocates of medicinal cannabis say it is useful in pain relief, treating depression, controlling muscle spasms and stimulating appetite. Several pharmaceutical companies produce cannabis-based mouth sprays that are legal in some European countries.

Here, the Misuse of Drugs Act would have to be amended to enable doctors prescribe the medicines. Junior Health Minister Alex White said this week amendment regulations were being drafted and it was anticipated they would be introduced in the middle of this year.

But Mr Fitzsimons said he had doubts that target would be met. He also wants wider legal exemptions to allow people smoke cannabis if it met their medical needs more effectively than sprays.

“I call for other people in the same situation as myself who are using this medically and who are gaining benefits to speak out about it.

“Do the exact same thing as me, walk in to your local Garda station with a joint, because it’s the only way of putting your situation on the record. It’s basically saying to the State you are denying me comfort if you don’t let me do this legally.”