UK Grandmother Gets 18 Months
Probation For Drinking Cannabis Tea For Arthritis Pain
October 6, 1998
From the Hartlepool Mail
post@hartmail.demon.co.uk
By Ian Monaghan(Ed. note: DEAland has no monopoly on persecuting
the sick and dying. Like Communism and Fascism, Prohibitionism is an international
ideology with powerful vested interests in almost every country. However, as this article
demonstrates, the opposition is growing. This is very friendly coverage from a small
English paper. Unfortunately, the story may not get wider coverage.)
See
London Times
Reports Sympathetically About Medical Marijuana User – Leaves Government Sounding
Cruel
and
UK Drug Tsar
Seems To Back Medical Marijuana: "No government would block legalisation on its
use." Yes, They Do!
and
"Cannabis
could form the basis for an entirely new approach to pain."
"Why marijuana is emerging as such a panacea." UK Report
and
UK Government
Commission Supports Medical Marijuana; "Irrational" Not To Explore Its Use In
Other Treatments. IoS
GRANDMOTHER ESCAPES JAIL
A GRANDMOTHER who narrowly escaped jail for drinking cannabis tea
to ease her constant pain today insisted: "It should be legalised".
See
UK
Victims of Tranquilizers Urge That "Far Safer" Medical Cannabis Be Made
Available -- IoS
"More people died from benzodiazepine usage than from such
drugs as heroin and cocaine."
Pain-riddled Joan Edwards has endured a nightmare 11 months with the threat of jail
hanging over her head since being caught in possession of the Class B drug.
The 55-year-old suffers from asthma and osteoporosis and found sipping cannabis in hot
water was only thing to offer her relief.
Joan, of Russell Walk, walked free from Teesside Crown Court yesterday after her story
was explained.
Amazingly Joan had also been charged with being a suspected
drug dealer after she had passed a wrap of the drug to an arthritic friend last year.
Now she has called for doctors to be able to prescribe the drug so fellow sufferers can
avoid the stigma of being labelled a criminal - just so they can get relief from pain.
"I think the law should be changed and that doctors should be able to prescribe
cannabis for medical reasons," she said. "I suffer from osteoporosis in the back
and the legs but the drugs that the doctors prescribe give me stomach cramps that leave me
bent, which brings on my asthma.
(Ed. note: Oddly, cannabis smoke relieves asthma for many people.)
"I can’t smoke cannabis because of my asthma but if I make it in hot water
and drink it I find it it is the best thing for my pain."
Joan is calling for the law to be changed so sufferers in a similar position don’t
have to endure similar nightmares.
She has had to cope with the death of her brother as well as having her home burgled
twice - all while having the stress of a jail sentence hanging over her head.
"The last 11 months have been hell," Joan added. "Even in court my own
barrister asked me if I had made provision for my 13-year-old son because he believed I
was going to be sentenced.
"I think that people in pain who find that taking cannabis
is the only thing to offer them relief should not be treated in this way like a
criminal."
Teesside Crown Court heard that police found several pieces of cannabis worth 44 UKP
when they searched her home on November 22 last year.
She admitted two charges of possession of cannabis and one of
possession with intent to supply and was given 18 months probation.
Supported