Jeremy Buckingham vows to legalise marijuana in his son Eden’s memory after suicide

A politician is leading the charge for marijuana legalisation as a tribute to his son who took his own life a day after revealing he was abused as a child.

Former NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham lost his boy Eden aged just 23 last August after a long struggle with depression and drug addiction.

Eden was found dead in bushland after telling his parents he ‘suffered the most evil abuse’ at the hands of a relative before he was even a teenager.

Mr Buckingham said ‘every day was a struggle’ since his son’s suicide, and he didn’t want another family to go through what his did.

‘It’s been, and will continue to be, a dark and and tragic circumstance. I love my son, I miss him every day,’ he told Daily Mail Australia in a tearful interview.

Mr Buckingham (pictured) said ‘every day was a struggle’ since his son’s suicide, and he didn’t want another family to go through what his did

‘You’ve gotta keep living and I want to do some things in his memory to help other people in similar situations because the tragedy of youth suicide and mental health in this country is chronic, and we believe cannabis can be one of the solutions.’

Mr Buckingham on Monday announced he would stand for the NSW Legislative Council at the election on March 25 as part of the Legalise Cannabis Party.

Eden’s death prompted his return to politics after four years as he hopes to provide an alternative to opiates for young people suffering mental illness and chronic pain.

‘The struggle my son had with his mental health issues was very, very difficult and he was on various medications, opiates, that I don’t think did him any good whatsoever,’ he said.

Eden battled with mental health issues for many years and dulled the pain with drugs and booze, but his family had no idea of the cause.

‘We didn’t realise he had this terrible trauma and abuse when he was very young,’ Mr Buckingham said.

‘People disclose these things and feel like they’ve come to a dead end and they take drastic action. 

‘Eden had his issues with substance abuse and alcohol, but that shouldn’t be the choice, we’ve got to do better as a society and we need a rational approach, not one based on fearmongering.

‘He didn’t feel like he could live with it, it’s just unbelievable, and I feel for everyone who’s going through that trauma, and their families.’

Eden (right) battled with mental health issues form many years and dulled the pain with drugs and booze, but his family had no idea the cause was his abuse by a relative

Eden (pictured) was found dead in bushland after telling his parents he ‘suffered the most evil abuse’ at the hands of a relative before he was even a teenager

Mr Buckingham said grieving Eden’s death with his wife Sarah and eldest son James, and seeking out counselling, made him realise he needed to advocate for positive change.

‘Grief affects everyone differently but it’s brought us closer together and made us think about what’s important in life – it’s family, it’s standing up for the things really matter,’ he said.

‘It strips away all the clutter from life and lays bare what’s really important. You huddle together with your family and go through this terrible torment, but humans are ridiculously resilient – if you’ve got a good wife and kids and family and network, you can survive. 

‘There’s good services out there for families who’ve lost kids to suicide and they’ve been invaluable for me.’

Mr Buckingham vowed to ‘get justice for you, my darling son’ in an emotional social media post in the day’s after Eden’s death.

He said the abuse his son suffered was being investigated by police, but he didn’t know how it was progressing.

‘I’ve been backwards and forwards with various police and I hope there’s an outcome, but we have to wait and see,’ he said.

His post described his ‘beautiful, golden boy’ as a sensitive and intelligent ‘warrior’ and sharing news of his death were ‘the hardest, unbearable words’.

‘Eden couldn’t live with his truth, telling us a day before he passed that he had suffered the most evil abuse from a relative,’ Mr Buckingham wrote.

‘His trust, faith and hope were shattered. He couldn’t live with the secret shame and guilt, and couldn’t live with the truth revealed.

‘He said he didn’t want to be the guy that this had happened to. It was too much for him. I understand and am not angry at him. I know why.’ 

 Mr Buckingham said grieving Eden’s (pictured) death with his family, and seeking out counselling, made him realise he needed to advocate for legalising marijuana

Mr Buckingham vowed to ‘get justice for you, my darling son’ in an emotional social media post in the day’s after Eden’s (pictured) death

He said he will remember his ‘beautiful boy’ every day and will see him again ‘at the long table in Valhalla’ – a great hall in Norse mythology where those who have died and are deemed worthy reside with gods.

Mr Buckingham said Australia was ‘far behind’ many Western democracies that legalised marijuana years ago, and the drug was less dangerous than other legal ones.

‘The government makes a fortune out of alcohol and tobacco taxes, and there’s incredible harm from that,’ he said.

‘When was the last time you saw two stoned people having a punch-up in a car park? Never.

‘But how many people who’ve had 14 cans of rum have you seen having a ding-dong in the Maccas car park?’

Mr Buckingham said it was ‘inevitable’ Australia would soon legalise marijuana, and it would happen faster if voters supported his party.

‘We’re riding a wave [of support] with two people elected in WA and Victoria and we have confidence about NSW… and a majority of Australians support legalisation,’ he said.

‘It won’t happen overnight but it won’t take forever. We need to build consensus but don’t want to get bogged down in inquiries – the research is being done overseas.’

He hoped for a progressive upper house that wouldn’t be dominated by MPs who ‘have their heads in the sand with a just-say-no approach that doesn’t work’.

‘Whoever forms government should be looking at this – even conservative states in the US are legalising cannabis because it’s a freedom issue, people should be free to enjoy their lives with a plant that’s humans have been using for thousands of years,’ he said.

Mr Buckingham described his ‘beautiful, golden boy’ as a sensitive and intelligent ‘warrior’ and sharing news of his death were ‘the hardest, unbearable words’

Mr Buckingham called the war on cannabis one of the most catastrophic policy failures in Australian history that needed to end quickly.

‘We’ve wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on a senseless and damaging war on cannabis. It’s needlessly criminalised tens of thousands of people for no reduction in harm,’ he said.

He had particular disdain for draconian drug driving laws that punished even medical cannabis patients if they failed a roadside saliva test as long as a month after they last used it.

‘With alcohol you can have a glass of wine or mid-strength beer and drive, but if you have a small trace of a legal cannabis prescription for chronic illness three days later you can lose your licence and be fined even though you’re not impaired, it’s ridiculous,’ he said.

‘Australia is way behind, Canada and US states like California legalised cannabis more than five years ago and studies show there was no corresponding spike in drug-related accidents. If anything, they show marijuana users are slightly better drivers. 

‘There are many tests that measure impairment, and that is what we should be moving to – not ones that catch people taking medicine.’

Mr Buckingham said research overseas showed more people tried marijuana when it was legalised, but there were only a small number of additional; regular users

‘We don’t want kids using it, and if you have well-formed legislation you’re far more able to protect and educate young people young people,’ he said.

‘That’s a far more effective way to deal with an issue that isn’t going away because Australians use cannabis.’

Mr Buckingham called the war on cannabis one of the most catastrophic policy failures in Australian history that needed to end quickly 

Mr Buckingham was a member of the NSW Legislative Council from 2011 to 2019. He was a Greens member from 2011 to 2018, but resigned from the party in December 2018. 

Announcing his return to politics, he said he was fighting for the common sense change that California, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Thailand and soon the ACT had already moved to – and it was now time for NSW.

‘I believe that current laws criminalising cannabis use and possession are not only costly and ineffective but also unjust. They disproportionately affect the sick, the young and Indigenous Australians,’ he said.

‘The legalisation of recreational cannabis for adult use would create a significant industry and employer, whilst massively reducing the burden and cost of prohibition on the community and criminal justice system.’

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