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UK: Cannabis woman to 'try suicide again'

Stephen Stewart & Robbie Dinwoodie

The Herald, Glasgow

Friday 04 Jul 2003

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BIZ Ivol, the terminally-ill cannabis campaigner, yesterday described how
she tried to end her life with 25 paracetamol tablets, two-and-a-half
joints, and a glass of lemonade.

She said: "I am so disappointed that I'm still here. Now I can't wait to
get home. I'll make sure I do it properly next time." From her bed in
Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall, Ms Ivol said regaining consciousness after the
unsuccessful suicide attempt was like "waking from a nightmare".

Ms Ivol, an MS sufferer, tried to raise awareness of the medicinal uses of
cannabis during a high-profile court case.

The 56-year-old had faced three charges of possessing, distributing, and
producing cannabis, but prosecutors announced earlier this week that the
case was to be dropped because of Ms Ivol's deteriorating medical condition.

"Once I knew the case had been dropped, I knew I could fight no longer,"
she said yesterday. "I just decided when I went to bed that there are
plenty of people who can carry on the fight for the medicinal use of
cannabis to be legalised."

After smoking a joint in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Ms Ivol,
from Herston, South Ronaldsay, took 10 paracetamol tablets with a glass of
lemonade. "I felt happy and relaxed after smoking the joint and I soon fell
asleep. I woke up a couple of hours later, smoked another joint and took
another 10 paracetamol.

"I wasn't feeling guilty or upset, just happy that things were coming to an
end and that I was in no pain. I woke again at about 5.30am and, as the
paracetamol didn't seem to have worked, swallowed five more tablets I found
lying in the bed.

"I smoked half of another joint and figured out it would be at least
another four hours before anyone found me, and that the paracetamol should
have worked by then. But I was still fully conscious when my next door
neighbour came round just before 8am and I told her what I'd done."

Ms Ivol's condition was described as comfortable, but she was still
struggling to come to terms with her failed suicide attempt. "I'm really
cross with myself and I feel like having a good cry. I don't want to live
any more. This disease has taken over my body and life is just too painful
for me to carry on.

"I'm going to commit suicide properly next time. Waking up in hospital and
finding that I made a mess of it was like a nightmare for me."

She also described the disappointment after hearing that her court case was
being dropped. "I was bitterly disappointed. It was not how I wanted it to
end. I wanted to change the law. I wanted to go all the way to the House of
Lords and the European Court of Human Rights."

Margo MacDonald, the independent MSP, said her case had shown the need for
the executive to use its legal powers to halt prosecutions for the medical
use of cannabis. She recognised overall drug policy was reserved to
Westminster, but argued that criminal law and prosecution policy was
devolved to Holyrood.

"We need to look at possible derogation on prosecution where there is a
certificate from a GP on, for example, a case of multiple sclerosis. The
fiscal and the police could decide that use of cannabis or its supply for
pain relief could be dealt with in a sympathetic way."

- July 4th

 

 

 

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