EVERY cause needs an anthem and popular musician Steve Charles seems to have struck the right chord with this one.
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The veteran singer-songwriter was so determined to support the Tamworth community’s crusade to decriminalise medical marijuana, he penned the song Legalise.
The catchy tune with a semi-reggae beat will be available in selected stores and on iTunes, with all proceeds going to the Medical Marijuana Fighting Fund.
Charles, a mainstay of the local music scene and frontman of Champagne Charlie’s Jazz Band, said watching his father die an undignified death from liver cancer confirmed how important effective medicine could be.
“I wrote it a few months ago when this whole push started,” Charles said. “It was a catalyst to finish the ideas I already had in my head about the issue.
“This is what I do ... it’s the only way I could think of to contribute.”
He said decriminalising the drug for the terminally ill made eminent sense.
“I’m a firm believer that if something is working and people are comfortable using it, then we should allow it,” Charles said. “There are terminally-ill people who are having huge trouble swallowing and eating.
“This can settle their stomach and give them a small window where they can feel comfortable.”
The Currabubula performer has released four albums during his 25 years as a working musician and played alongside such names as Lee Kernaghan and Ross Wilson. Charles will join Ashleigh Dallas and a host of other local acts at a special fundraiser for the Medical
Marijuana Fighting Fund at Tamworth Tennis Club on August 8.
To buy tickets to the hippie-themed event, call The Old Bell Tower, Tamworth Landscape Supplies or the tennis club on 6766 2070.