Olivia was an inspirational and vocal advocate for medicinal cannabis. She knew the important role medicinal cannabis could play in the journey of a cancer patient and was passionate about increased patient access.
When MCIA launched, she was excited to see the industry come together to discuss these important issues to ensure all patients had access to medicinal cannabis.
Our thoughts are with Oliva’s family and friends during this time.
Please find below a message from Peter Crock, Chair, MCIA:
It is an incredibly sad day, marking the passing of Olivia Newton-John.
Olivia was the most incredible person, touching the lives of so many people, directly and indirectly, with her beautiful soul, compassion and influence. I had the privilege of spending time with Olivia, and her husband John Easterling, through their support of medicinal cannabis and my own cancer journey – a test developed at ONJ Cancer Research Institute, related to immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma, literally saved my life.
Olivia was very careful to ensure her support for medicinal cannabis, her interaction with the Medicinal Cannabis Industry of Australia (MCIA) and the industry in general, was not misconstrued as being commercially motivated. Knowing how useful medicinal cannabis was in helping manage her own wellbeing, Olivia, with John by her side, was always incredibly generous with her time and support, and interest in ensuring patients had all options available to them in dealing with cancer. Olivia has been an inspirational and vocal advocate for medicinal cannabis, and there is no doubt it played an important role in Olivia’s quality of life in dealing with cancer. The legacy Olivia leaves is incredible on so many fronts. I was lucky enough to be able to say thank you to Olivia directly, and I proudly re-tell my story of the ONJCRI Liquid Biopsy at any opportunity. We are so lucky that Olivia’s Melbourne roots saw her provide critical support and influence to ensure Australia has continued at the forefront of medical technical developments, but also her boundless kindness and compassion has seen her holistic approach to wellness being embraced and available to so many cancer patients. MCIA will continue the work to ensure medicinal cannabis is available for doctors and patients, and specifically we would like to acknowledge Olivia and John for their support over the years. We now need to carry the legacy forward as Olivia would want.
Thank you again Olivia. Rest in peace.
Peter Crock
Chair, MCIA
Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre (onjcancercentre.org)