And Justice for all....

What kind of Australia do we want to be?

You may remember the tragic loss of Dan Haslam to cancer. He and his family, very publicly brought about awareness and campaigned for legalizing medicinal cannabis. Sadly, it came too late for Dan, but his mother Lucy, campaigned on. And now, over a year later, she has toured medicinal cannabis facilities in Israel with Mike Baird and has bought a farm in NSW she intends to grow medicinal cannabis on, in Dan's honour.

This farm was endorsed by the acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and the NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant this week. It was heralded as the first farm to grow medicinal cannabis in Australia and that Lucy Haslam will apply for a growing license.

Prison for me, legal tolerance toward the politically connected elite?

In July 2014 I attended Dan’s fundraiser where he acknowledged my generosity as the largest donator. I had driven 1,600km to attend, and offered him free oil from my chemist. Dan expressed deep gratitude for my effort, contribution, and showing my support. However, Dan decided to continue using tincture type oil he was getting from Newcastle. Like Lucy, I do all I can every single day to lead the fight for legal access to medicinal cannabis for people in need like Dan.

I'm ecstatic about Lucy's success in driving forth the legalization effort. Too many families suffer under outdated laws that deny them the natural medicine they and their doctors believe will help their loved ones, and Lucy has turned the tragedy of her son's death into the impetus for a positive effort to repeal these laws.

But as I look at my own predicament, where the state of New South Wales has aggressively sought to make me possibly the last person in Australia imprisoned for these very same outdated laws, with Lucy's crusade, I am forced to ask: is Australia a country that affords justice only to those with connections to the country's political and media elite?

I contrast my upcoming court appearance, scheduled for May 16 2016, where I face the prospect of being prisoned for the ostensible crime of supplying medicinal cannabis to sick Australians, with the recent photos of Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and the NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant at Lucy's farm, endorsing an operation that is currently illegal under NSW laws.

I repeat, NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant, who is also Minister for Gaming, Racing and the Arts and also the Minister for Justice and Police, is endorsing a soon-to-be-opened medicinal cannabis farm, which violates NSW current laws. Minister of Justice and Police. Police as in upholding the law as it stands on the day. Except here possibly. But why would the minister of Justice and Police be endorsing something that is not legal in his own state and associating with people he knows have broken the law to help their son. It's commendable that Mr.Grant is campaigning for change, but one must ask why.

Mrs.Haslam, actually she prefers to be referred to as Ms.Haslam, is married to a retired police officer who headed the drug squad in the very same area they have their farm. Lou Haslam, spent most of his career incarcerating "drug" users and traffickers. Possibly some of them were trying to help their families as he would eventually do for his son. The question must be asked, as I face the prospect of a criminal conviction for soon to be repealed NSW cannabis prohibition laws, do Lou and Tony know each other?

Dan's tragic story was the subject of a documentary. A lot of families fight cancer every day, and some use medicinal cannabis and campaign for its legalization. So how did Dan get singled out? Was it because his dad traded being a cop to be a cannabis vigilante? Or maybe because Lucy used the valuable connection she had in the media, Helen Kapalos, referred to as a family friend. A well-known news anchor is a great asset, and sympathy makes for a great story. So it was a successful match. It was also a great moment for medicinal cannabis.

So. Here I am, standing in line to try out for the legal medicinal cannabis team and open my farm. I have been working hard to be amongst the few at the front. For years I have risked everything to help suffering Australians live with dignity and build a trustworthy name for myself. My business pays tax, and I relentlessly campaign and place myself at risk to provide a safe portal for access to medicinal cannabis. Unlike most people in this industry, I chose to do this, when I had numerous lucrative opportunities available to me in legal industries. To me it is a moral obligation and I gave up everything to fight for it. Then, as I get near the front of the line, I'm shoved back to let someone else in. Someone new to the industry still raw from grief with powerful connections. So, if you were me, would you feel irritated and frustrated?

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/…/2ff028fdc3d5f64483091296…

I have been vilified for what I do. I have publicly fought to clear my name and still find myself in court fighting for the rights of people in desperate need. Meanwhile, newcomers get photo opportunities with senior officials of our government, and promised a spot at the front of the line, I find myself being criminally prosecuted by the very same government. But with no personal tragedy, no people on the inside, I find myself pushed back down the line. This is not the Australia that I believe in.

I do not bemoan the success of Lucy in bringing senior politicians in the NSW government to her side. We should all celebrate this success of reason and compassion over authoritarianism, in our democratic Commonwealth. But I ask that the government of New South Wales give me the same treatment. That they afford me the same justice. All I ask for is equality before the law. Justice for all, not just those with political connections. To those in the NSW government, please call off this abhorrent witch hunt against me by the Crown prosecution. Please drop the criminal charges against me, that threaten to take me away from my family for violating a law that the entire country, from Victoria, to the federal government, to our own state, has already repealed, or is in the process of repealing.

To date, I have currently assisted 1,532 Australians with cancer, epilepsy, MS and other life threatening conditions with medicinal cannabis.

I also wish to acknowledge the loss and grief experienced by the Haslam family. I respect their efforts in educating and promoting medicinal cannabis. We are a community, and we should all benefit from each other’s experiences.

Speak soon and best,

Langdon Brown

The DMC