My name is Veronica. I strongly oppose harm minimization legislation. I am a former user of cannabis during my teens and early 20’s and am now 28 years of age. The abuse of this drug has caused adverse effects several years of ceasing use of it. I suffered a drug-induced psychosis whilst I was in my third year of University, which caused me to defer my degree. I eventually completed my education, however have paid a big price during my years of employment. I worked as Chemist, however suffer paranoia and uncertainty when completing important jobs at work. I was never paranoid before I started using the drug heavily.

Just last week, I resigned from a fantastic position I held for one year due to the mental anguish drug abuse has caused. It has been SEVEN YEARS since I consumed any illicit drug and I suffer a permanent headache which has brutally tormented me. I have worked in the Chemistry industry since I graduated at 22, however have found it difficult to cope with stressful situations faced during employment.

When I was a child of six, I developed a mental disorder known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This neurobiological disease affects the way a person thinks. In my case, I obsessively worried and this made me extremely anxious. The anxiety manifested itself as visible motor tics people could actually observe. It was very embarrassing and at certain stressful times of my life, the tics became more and more obvious. The humiliation this caused me made me extremely depressed. I turned to cannabis in the hope that I could escape from the anxiety and depression of everyday life. This then led to experimenting with drugs such as ecstasy, speed and LSD.

Harm minimisation legislation would not help people like myself who already suffer a mental disorder. Zero tolerance of cannabis would have been the ONLY solution. Now that I have polluted and distorted my neural pathways with these drugs I am still rehabilitating seven years on. I still suffer horrendous nightmares at night, whereby my husband wakes to my terror-filled screams. Caused by the LSD? Perhaps. However, I wouldn’t have gone straight to the LSD without trying a “softer” drug such as cannabis. In my drug taking years, I don’t think I ever met one person who was on ecstasy that hadn’t smoked cannabis first. Cannabis provided the gateway into the world of chemically synthesized drugs.

Currently, I work in a Psychiatric Hospital on Monday mornings during a prayer service. A Christian message of hope is brought to the patient’s in the wards and my husband and I play the worship music. Many of the faces that grace the service are there due to the deleterious effects of cannabis use. Tears fall from many eyes when they sing songs of renewed hope. The drug has stolen their hope, driving them into an institution to deal with paranoia, low self-esteem and lack of motivation. Many hear audible, negative voices due to cannabis use and sufferers are left with life-long mental distress.

My plea to you is to abort the harm minimisation legislation and introduce harm elimination practice and education for a drug-free Australia. Genetically, my children may be born with a sensitive mind, just like their mother’s. Introducing cannabis to them “safely” won’t help their sanity one little bit.