Olivia Newton-John
Aside from undergoing radiation therapy, pop icon Olivia Newton-John also depends on natural curatives—including homegrown cannabis or marijuana—to alleviate the pain her stage 4 breast cancer causes her.
“I decided I would use everything I could to get stronger,” she told People magazine in a recent interview.
Olivia’s husband, John Easterling, is a natural health practitioner-entrepreneur. They live in a ranch in California, where marijuana is legal for medicinal and recreational use.
“My husband hands me all these herbs every morning and makes me a green algae drink. He grows the [marijuana] plants and makes them into liquid for me. I take drops, maybe four to five times a day,” related Olivia.
The singer was initially diagnosed with the illness in 1992. She went on remission later, but the cancer recurred and spread to her lower back in 2017.
“It has helped incredibly with pain maintenance and sleep,” related Olivia, who was admittedly “a little nervous” about turning to cannabis for relief. “It’s an amazing plant, a maligned plant, but it’s helping so many people.” —ALLAN POLICARPIO