Bill Turnbull STOPS smoking cannabis (for medical reasons)

BBC TV Presenter Bill Turnbull has said he found smoking cannabis oil really helped reduce his symptoms as he fought a deadly prostate cancer. But now he has stopped until he learns more about the medical science behind his doses.

But reports were ambiguous as to whether he was smoking legal CBD or illegal THC. At one point he refers to Cannabidiol and at another he says:

‘Cannabis oil made me high and very light-headed. But research shows THC in cannabis does kill cancer cells.

‘It’s about doing more research – to be honest it was an enjoyable experience – but I stopped doing it recently as I wasn’t sure where it was taking me.

Like taking Aspirin

‘It’s like taking an Aspirin. I didn’t know enough about the amount and quantities or type or strength to take. And because of that, I wasn’t sure about where to go with it so I stopped.’

Turnbull also told viewers that giving meat and alcohol a miss has helped him feel fitter and more positive mentally.

He said: ‘Attitude is everything but you must stay with conventional therapies.

‘Chemotherapy is pretty tough love but you can help yourself to heal.

A documentary on Channel 4 this week will show Turnbull, who used to present BBC Breakfast, as he experiments with smoking joints as part of his treatment.

Turnbull,63, said: ‘I took a little bit from time to time and it was soothing. It made me giggle and want to throw up over the director.

Legalise medicinal cannabis

‘I do think we need to have a proper conversation in this country about the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. It’s legal for that purpose in more than 20 countries now.

‘We should be one of them. It’s been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.’

He added: ‘Once everybody gets past talking about the ‘B’ word constantly in the halls of power, we can start doing more constructive things, so this would be one of them.’

Staying Alive shows a tearful Turnbull revealing the impact of the disease on his family, his work, diet, and relationships with BBC colleagues.

He said of his recurrent tears in the programme: ‘I’m a bit embarrassed. It’s a bit of a blubberthon, God I’m crying again.’

‘It’s a very emotional business. I am on a hormone treatment which does make me spill over, to suppress the testosterone.

‘It makes you more likely to cry and crying is a very important thing to do, I think, when under this kind of stress.’

Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive airs on Channel 4 on Thursday, October 24. Contact: Lesley Land lland@channel4.co.uk