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Hanging Out With Jenny

Our new episode of the Friendly Aussie Podcast is one of our juciest and most stimulating conversations yet! We talk with Jenny Hallam, an SA woman who put herself on the line to assist others experiencing chronic pain and terminal illness. Jenny provided people with safe, reliable access to the treatments they needed, but otherwise couldn’t find.

Jenny has fibromyalgia. It was her pain (caused in several freak accidents) that inspired her to become a medicinal producer of cannabis oil. In turn, her acts have gone on to touch so many people across this country. Check out an excerpt from the podcast (below) – or listen to the whole thing on our YouTube or Spotify channels.

True Blue Aussie Hero

Jenny has found herself at the centre of a major controversy within the Australian political and legal spheres over the past few years, as a result of her selfless and tireless acts. Hallam’s home was raided by police in January of 2017… but it wasn’t until three months later – a year after the Turnbull government initiated the TGA medicinal cannabis scheme – that Jenny was charged by authorities for the manufacturing and supply of cannabis product.

Hallam was potentially facing up to 9 years of jail time. Rapidly, however, the tides of public opinion were shifting. Jenny’s story was now everywhere. Over the many years that this case was drawn out, attitudes in the media had changed.

Jenny captured the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere. She was providing sick people with the high-quality medicine they needed, legally or not. She was also delivering her treatments free at the point of use in many instances. She was putting herself directly on the line to improve others’ quality of life. Greg Barns noted during Hallam’s sentencing submissions in October that she lost over $20,000 in supplying cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain, epilepsy and “a range of other serious ailments”.

Ultimately, Jenny avoided a criminal conviction – vindicating her defiant stance as a medicinal healer and a generally decent human being.

“TO ME IT SENDS A MESSAGE THAT THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH ACCESS OUT THERE, THAT PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE, THAT ALL THEY WANT IS TO HEAL THEMSELVES, AND THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME ARE JUST TRYING TO SAVE THEIR LIVES.”

Jenny Hallam

“All I Ever Wanted Was For People To Be Happy”

Jenny was only ever trying to help people – and it’s this spirit of care that has triumphed against the legal and political system, in what is no doubt a huge, inspiring personal victory. We ask her – what’s next?

Hallam’s avoidance of a criminal conviction is also a big deal for the Australian cannabis community. It shows that with enough public awareness, we can fight to bring about big changes within how the system itself functions, such that it can better serve and protect those it subjects to its violent rule.

In this case, as in so many others, the “crime” was victimless. With cannabis law reform, we can eliminate the unjust detention of those who seek the liberty to utilise cannabis as a sacrament, medicine or recreational drug.

MC Advocate Jenny Hallam Avoids Jail Sentence