Jessica Duyn injured her back 12 years ago in a workplace injury and now suffers from spondylitis, which affects her spine and hips.

"I'm in pain pretty much from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed," she said.

Miss Duyn, 39, said her doctor wanted to prescribe her methadone to deal with the pain, but she was worried she would become addicted to it.

Instead, she turned to cannabis for relief.

Miss Duyn said cannabis should have been legalised years ago.

"I'm illegally healing because I don't want to be taking opiate medications or synthetic cannabis," she said.

"I can go without it for a short time, but at the end of the day I will be in a lot of pain."

Miss Duyn said if she did not use cannabis for a longer period of time, she struggled to walk.

"I have an invisible illness and there are a lot of people out there that have an invisible illness that cannabis can help," she said.

"If Scott Morrison can give $150 million to America for going to the Moon, why the hell can't the federal government legalise cannabis?"

Ms Duyn said she was not ashamed to admit that she smoked cannabis, despite it being illegal.

"I'm in a much better place than I was five years ago," she said.

"Without it (cannabis) I wouldn't be here."

Ms Duyn said doctors had suggested she undergo surgery for her spinal injury.

However, she said the risk of being paralysed was too high.

Ms Duyn said she didn't sell the drug, saying she only consumed a small amount to ease her pain.

She said Australia needed to catch up with other countries, which had legalised cannabis.

"Why does Australia need to do its own research and not rely on international research?

"I wish I could be in America right now and be able to go to the dispensary and get a specific strain that is meant for my condition."

Ms Duyn said she wanted to share her story after Warrnambool councillor David Owen came out in support of legalising medicinal cannabis.

Cr Owen, who is battling prostate cancer, said no one should have to suffer if there was a way to ease their pain.

"We certainly should be looking at alternative medicines," he said.

"It it can relieve some of the pain for someone suffering, I would support it.

"People suffer enough in their lives."

Dozens of people also expressed their support for the push on The Standard's Facebook page.

"As a Parkinson's sufferer I don't need it yet but would like to be able to get it when I want," Paula O'Sullivan said.

"It astounds me that it hasn't been legalised yet," Kris Sudale said.

"I have no problem with medicinal cannabis for pain," Jean Paton said.

"Yes it is natural - unlike the many synthetic pills we are made to take to ease pain," Alicia Nolan Gaitan said.

Last month the ACT passed laws to legalise the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use.

It removes any penalty for possessing up to 50 grams of dry cannabis, or 150 grams of "fresh cannabis", and for growing up to two plants.

Each household could grow a maximum of four plants but hydroponic growing would still be illegal.

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