Emigration: “If this is what I am going to be faced with access to medication, then I can’t have a long term plan in Ireland.”

In a new series, Cannabis Health News talks to people who have experienced emigration in search of safe, legal cannabis access. This is our second feature in the series.

In the previous article, we spoke to Alicia Maher about her decision to emigrate for access and her life in Spain. This week, we spoke to Aridenne Lynch about making the decision to leave and what awaits her in her new life abroad.

Emigration

Emigration from Ireland moves up and down usually depending on the state of the economy. Between 1820 and 1970, heavy emigration took place and by the end of the 19th century, almost 40 percent of the Irish born population lived abroad. A quarter of those living in the US and one in ten in Britain.

Nothing has changed with similar patterns taking place in the 1980s and 00s due to different recessions. In recent years, this has slowed. The number of people emigrating from Ireland at 29,000 signalled an increase in 2019 compared to the 26,900 Irish who returned. It’s not always a recession that causes people to leave a country but recently there has been a wave of Irish cannabis patients choosing to leave the country.

The decision to emigrate is a small part of the battle when it comes to leaving. The most stressful part, as every person who has left, knows is the planning that needs to be done. No one knows this better than Adrienne who is moving with her young daughter to Spain for access to cannabis. Adrienne is a cannabis patient, advocate and activist. She is also the host of the cannabis podcast, Bitches of Eire which covers a range of cannabis topics.

She started smoking cannabis recreationally as a teenager but then it took on another meaning for her when her father became ill. “At one point in my teens, my dad was using it because he had cancer. He found it amazing for pain which changed my perspective on it. When my father died, it was the trauma that triggered my autoimmune condition and fibromyalgia. That was when my symptoms began.”

Read more: A fibro-warriors fight to access to cannabis

Cannabis for fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a collection of symptoms usually defined by widespread chronic pain. It has a broad spectrum of often debilitating symptoms including fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and reduced physical function. The exact number of fibromyalgia patients in Ireland is not known, but it is estimated to affect approximately 2% of the population. It is thought to affect one in 20 people worldwide. Anyone can develop fibromyalgia, although the condition typically affects more women than men.

Adrienne felt a better connection with cannabis than alcohol but it wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she started to consider it medicinally. “I was really fed up with all the pharmaceutical medication. I couldn’t even hold a job down or keep a routine. It was stealing my life from me and every time I tried to get my life back, these pills were making me sicker.”

Research

At this stage, Adrienne began to research cannabis and diet. She began to take cannabis daily while reducing her pharmaceutical medication over the next few years. It took a while for her to reduce the amount as she was living in places such as Uganda and lacked the stability of being in one place. Some of this detox took place on the road in America where she found being away from everything a lot easier. She now says it is her medicine and she would never look back.

The idea for moving to Spain came from living in a US state where cannabis was legal. She began to dread coming back to Ireland as the thought of reentering into prohibition worried her. She was originally going to stay in Ireland for longer with her husband but after their break up, she began to think about relocation.

“The idea of coming back to where it wouldn’t be legal was scary. Before I even went to America, I was talking about Spain or Holland as this was the only thing that worked for me. If this is what was I was going to be faced with all the time for the rest of my life for access to my medication then I can’t have a long term plan in Ireland.”

“When my husband left, I thought, this is an opportunity because my daughter is at the perfect age to move. I was absolutely fed up after the pandemic with trying to access my medication. Cannabis allows me to eat so I didn’t know if I was going to be able to eat from one day to another. Which is anxiety and fear in itself. I was fed up with living like that so I started planning in February to go.”

Adrienne is hoping to leave in the next few weeks. Along with cannabis access, another huge reason for her decision to emigrate to Spain, in particular, is the climate. “I have rheumatoid arthritis which is not a good mix with cold weather. Spain has the perfect climate and I have a draw to go to Malaga so I’m following it.”

Read more: What is fibromyalgia and can cannabis help?

Time to go

“It’s been a process and there is a reason not everyone does this. It’s not just the stress of trying to get moving companies or packing everything but then living in that limbo phase where everything is packed and you are waiting to go.”

She adds: “That’s the minimal side of it, then there is the emotional side of leaving your home. I’ve left before but I always knew I was coming back. I would go for a year or six months but this time, I’ve sold my house and it’s a permeant fixture. I’m setting up roots there and I’m going to be raising my daughter in Spain. This is a no coming back sort of scenario.”

“Ireland will always be my home. I love it dearly and I’m a very proud Irish woman but I’m ready for the next step.

One thing Adrienne found surprising is that others weren’t always thrilled about her decision to move. She cautions others thinking of emigration to consider this. “When you make the decision and you know in your heart its the right move to make, you are just so excited about it. You expect every single person to be just as excited as you but not everyone is ecstatic. You need to prepare yourself for that because people will try and rain on your parade. If it is the right thing for you then don’t let them knock you for a second.”

Cannabis access has a long way to go in Ireland. While there is the ministerial license and the non-functioning Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP), there is a long line of patients and cannabis consumers being left behind. Countless patients in this series and across forums recount the difficulties of individual situations with their medications that aren’t accounted for by law, customs or the Irish government.

Adrienne says the laws are a big problem when it comes to her potentially returning down the line. “The biggest driver for me is the law. I would have stuck it out longer but it’s not even just about cannabis. I’ve been fighting in the marriage equality referendum, the Repeal movement and it just seems never-ending.”

“I’m going to miss Ireland a lot but there are a number of reasons why I’m leaving and cannabis access is the biggest thing.”

Have you emigrated for access?

Please get in touch on social media and tell us your story to take part in the series.