Olivia Newton-John is enduring her third bout with stage-four metastatic breast cancer. She was initially diagnosed in 1992 and never went into remission until 2013. Several years later, she learned the cancer had spread to her spine. Despite all this, the Australian actress has persisted thanks to two things: optimism and cannabis.
“I focus on the positive side of things, no matter what the challenge,” she recently told the Australian magazine Who. That’s why she’s committed to helping others with cancer via her foundation, which researches and documents the benefits of plant-based medicine as well as her own hospital, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Australia where she is lobbying the government to legalize medical marijuana and make it available.
From Morphine To Cannabis
The Grease star discovered the advantages of cannabis when her husband, John Easterling, began growing it on their California farm. Originally treated with morphine for cancer-related pain, Newton-John told attendees at the Cannabis Science Conference in Portland, Oregon (pre-pandemic) that she was able to wean herself off the morphine by using marijuana, primarily cannabis oil. She said it helped with her symptoms including pain, sleep with anxiety.
Easterling now grows 21 different strains of cannabis and develops all types of herbal remedies “pretty specifically” for his wife.
While comprehensive scientific data on cannabis as a cancer treatment is lacking due to federal restrictions that limit research, many studies confirm that it is useful in treating nausea caused by chemotherapy, as well as cancer-related nerve pain, according to the American Cancer Society. And that’s enough for Newton-John to keep pressing on.
"I really believe the cannabis has made a huge difference. If I don't take the drops, I can feel the pain, so I know it's working," Newton-John said.
Photo created by JRod of Benzinga
