Olivia Newton-John uses medical cannabis to help her fight cancer

Olivia Newton-John has won 4 Grammy Awards, and is best known as the female lead in Grease. She recently opened up about her second battle with cancer. Having beaten breast cancer in the 90s, the singer is now battling a relapse in her sacrum.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Olivia Newton-John spends most of her time in her Californian home, and uses cannabis in addition to her chemotherapy, a subject she knows well: her daughter owns a cannabis farm in Oregon.

«I use medical cannabis, which works really well for pain and healing,» the singer explains. «It's a plant that has had bad press for so long, and has so many possibilities for healing.»

The Grease star and Grammy winner also intends to use his battle with cancer to campaign for the therapeutic use of cannabis in his native Australia.

«I'm going to do what I can to encourage its use. It's an important part of treatment, and it should be available. I only use it for pain, and the medical use has been proven by research: it really helps,» she explains.

She will be returning to Australia in September to promote her Wellness and Research Center (a research and wellness center) and raise funds, with a target of A$1 million (€665,000) for the first year.

The medical use of cannabis has been legalized in Australia in February 2016, but full implementation of the medical cannabis program is still some way off. Obtaining authorization to use it still takes several months, via a complex process, and conditions vary from state to state. Perhaps Olivia Newton-John will help raise awareness of the issue at her charity event.