Remembering Ireland’s Lost Medical Cannabis Activists
By Brian Houlihan
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Over the past decade members of the public have emerged to share their medical cannabis stories. Some are household names like Vera Twomey while others are not. But all of these people have helped Ireland’s slow progression towards medical cannabis reform.
Sadly along the way we have lost some of these voices. Arguably such deaths are to be expected, after all, many of these individuals were unfortunately very ill. But their loss has always left a hole in the hearts of friends and family and the wider activist community.
Sadly the community was dealt another blow with the recent death of campaigner Alex Baizert just days after the 4/20 event.
In this blog post, I wish to pay tribute to some of the activists we have lost such as: John McCarthy, Aodhrua Fitzgerald, Marie Fleming, Ronan Gaynor, Tina McElligott and Alex Baizert. It’s because of such individuals, and their friends and family, that Ireland is on the verge of significant reform.
John McCarthy
John McCarthy was a decade’s long campaigner on numerous issues, most notably on mental health. He established the group Mad Pride Ireland, which works to open up the debate on mental health. He also worked tirelessly on other human rights campaigns and was the author of a number of works.
After a diagnosis of motor neuron disease, someone suggested to John that he try cannabis for medical purposes. Eventually, John experimented with eating cannabis and found it helped massively with his condition. John even lamented to me once he wished he had tried cannabis much sooner.
Following his experiences John used his column in a local paper to discuss medical cannabis. He also spoke at cannabis events and used other opportunities to highlight the benefits of medical cannabis. John’s strong standing in the community and his passion added weight to his message.
Sadly John passed away in January 2012. Below is footage of him speaking at the legalise cannabis protest in Cork in 2011.
Aodhrua Fitzgerald
Aodrhua Fitzgerald was a young comedian diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. Aodhrua found that cannabis helped with his chemotherapy. Following his diagnosis, he worked with campaign groups in Cork to advocate for reform. His humour, wit, and honesty blended to form a message few could ignore.
His story was featured in the Irish Times and on RTE Radio and in other media outlets. These days such stories in the media are almost a weekly occurrence. However, such national coverage was almost unheard of even just 6 years ago. His story helped paved the way for other campaigners to follow suit.
Sadly Aodhrua passed away in December 2013. His death almost a year after John McCarthy’s was hard on many activists, particularly those in Cork and but also across Ireland.
Below is footage of Aodhrua opening for Howard Marks at a UCC DAR (now SSDP) even. Unfortunately, we have also lost Howard Marks since then. Howard had close ties to Ireland and campaigned here on numerous occasions.
Marie Fleming:
Marie Fleming and Tom Curran became household names in Ireland after losing a landmark Supreme Court challenge for the right to an assisted suicide. Marie was suffering from multiple sclerosis and wanted to ensure that her partner Tom would not be prosecuted if he helped her end her life.
Sadly Marie died in December 2013 and six months following her death Tom revealed she had been using medical cannabis. Initially, it was bought on the street but then Tom starting growing cannabis for her. He has even publicly discussed this on national television since.
Like many people Marie found that cannabis helped with her MS. Following her death, Tom continues to campaign for medical cannabis reform and is a regular speaker at local, national and international events.
Below is a clip from Cannabis News Network telling Marie and Tom’s story.
Ronan Gaynor:
In recent years it has often been young children and their advocating parents that have pushed the debate on. Among these heroes is Ronan Gaynor and his family. In April 2015 Ronan was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma which is a rare type of a brain tumour.
After twice undergoing radiotherapy the family learned about medical cannabis and began using CBD. From then Ronan’s family campaigned on his behalf to access cannabis. Ronan’s father Mark spoke at numerous meetings to promote Gino Kenny’s bill and asking Simon Harris to speed up the process.
Ronan’s family revealed how CBD was helping but like many others, he was in need of THC. The family also revealed the high costs involved as they were spending around €1,500 per month on CBD. This shows the need to have cannabis regulated and available on prescription.
Sadly Ronan passed away in July 2017 aged just six. Despite his short life he left a lasting impact on those that met him.
Tina McElligott:
In 2016 Tina McElligott was diagnosed with the neurological condition Alpers and was given just six months to live. Following the diagnosis, Tina’s family and friends campaigned on her behalf to access medical cannabis. Tina was using CBD oil while in Ireland but couldn’t access THC products legally.
In May 2017 members of the family flew to Barcelona in order to obtain cannabis oil containing THC. The family spent six weeks working with a team at the Kalapa Clinic in Barcelona, which specialises in cannabis-based treatments. It’s believed Tina is the only Alpers patient to ever be treated with cannabis.
It was later revealed Tina was seizure free for eight months due to her medical cannabis treatment in Spain. Prior to this Tina could have six rehabilitating seizures each day. Tina returned to Ireland and was able to continue her cannabis treatment.
Sadly Tina passed away in February of this year aged just 17. The brave Kerry teenager was the longest surviving person diagnosed with Alpers.
Alex Baizert:
Alex Baizert who suffered from epilepsy since birth, and had undergone two operations to curb his seizures, spent the last few years campaigning avidly for medical cannabis. Alex did a lot of work on a local and national level to contact politicians about his plight and the plight of others.
Alex spoke candidly to the media about having to source cannabis illegally and CBD legally to keep seizures at bay. He also highlighted how cannabis helped him reduce his reliance on pharmaceuticals. The seizures Alex suffered were severe enough to force him to retire from teaching in 2015
Alex was recently awarded a licence to access medical cannabis but tragically he never got to utilise what he tirelessly worked for. An added tragedy is that Alex had just gotten engaged to his girlfriend Caroline before his untimely death last week.
Below is footage of Alex passionately speaking at the 4/20 protest just days before his passing.
Undoubtedly there are other individuals not named that I’ve either mistakenly overlooked or whose story is only known to their family and friends. It’s likely many readers will know someone who benefits or did benefit from medical cannabis.
It’s for those gone and for those still in need of access to cannabis that we must continue the fight.
Brian Houlihan is the curator of the Dublin Hemp Museum and regularly writes about hemp. Follow him on Twitter @dubhempmuseum and @houlihanbrian. You can also find the museum on Facebook.
