A Winmalee family is urging Blue Mountains residents to get behind the fan screening of High as Mike (Medical Cannabis: Natural. Healing. Criminalised).
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The controversial movie is being screened on Wednesday July 31 at 6.30pm at Mount Vic Flicks in Mount Victoria. Tickets are available at fan-force.com/screenings.
The Taylor family were in the news last year after dad Stephen Taylor, then 64, was given a six month good behaviour bond in Penrith Court after juicing home grown cannabis to treat his seriously ill daughters. The charges were found proven but dismissed and no conviction was recorded.
The family features in the documentary, a film that aims to spread awareness and educate the public on medical cannabis.
Mr Taylor spent more than five years watching daughters Morgan, 21, and Ariel, 25, suffer from the chronic auto-immune condition Crohn's Disease before, after thorough research by his wife Karen, he decided to grow cannabis in his backyard to help them.
Mr Taylor said his daughters were repeatedly hospitalised with their condition and had serious side effects from pharmaceutical drugs.
One of Australias leading barristers, the former chair of the Australian Republican Movement and adviser to Julian Assange and Wikileaks, Greg Barns, and solicitor Sally McPherson represented Mr Taylor for free during the court case.
Mr Barns provided extensive medical evidence from two doctors to confirm Mr Taylors seriously ill daughters had benefited from the juiced cannabis, a non psychoactive form of cannabis.
Penrith Local Court Magistrate Stephen Corry took into account the substantive medical evidence on the beneficial effects of the juiced cannabis on the daughters' condition, including from the police's own consultant forensic pharmacologist, John Andrew Farrar
Morgan, 22, was on a trial for legal cannabis, but had to stop treatment as the oil from Canada proved ineffective for her condition and the cost was upwards of $500 a month.
The film High as Mike by filmmakers Peter Cross, Craig Wilson and Daniel Raffaele, shows an Australian man with a brain tumour uncovering the trials and tribulations of patients with a range of medical conditions using or trying to use medicinal cannabis.
Politicians, doctors, lawyers, licensed growers and black market operators are also canvassed in the debate. A portion of every ticket sold will be donated to United In Compassion.
Morgan Taylor, whose family attended the recent Sydney premiere at Dendy Opera Quays, said "the film is incredibly moving and you'll leave the cinema with a huge mix of emotions".
