Man bought cannabis to ease crippling arthritis pain" (Sept 30) - leave him alone!

Sirs, I refer to your report "Man bought cannabis to ease crippling arthritis pain" (Sept 30).
In defence the lawyer is reported to have said "He doesn't want to keep attracting convictions but he has to weigh up the balance between being in agony and unable to move and taking cannabis."
So the magistrate sentence shim to a conditional discharge - gives him the very same choice again.
Well I ask you, the reader, if given the same choice, what would you choose - pain or a plant that eases it far more effectively than dangerous pills with unpleasant side-effects.
There is a third choice - allow him or his carer to grow a limited number of plants at home for own use.
If he is not hurting anyone, it ought not be a matter for the police and the taxpayers ought not to be footed the bill for taking people to court when they have done no harm.
Alun Buffry
address
Norwich


You can write to: stephen.stray@jpress.co.uk
subject "Letter to the Editor" - include your name and address and refer to title of article and date (30 Sept)

http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/crime/man-bought-cannabis-to-ease-crippling-arthritis-pain-1-4314777

Man who grew cannabis as pain-relief sentence reduced but still unjustly locked up

Although I welcome the reduction in sentence, truth is that Matthews seems to have harmed nobody and simply tried to ease his pains with a plant he found effective and that he could grow in the privacy of his own home - NOBODY ELSE WAS INVOLVED.

I find it remarkable that courts, the legal profession and journalists alike do not seem to realise the difference between some form of medical dependency and addiction.

All people that take medication to treat the symptoms of illness or accident are dependent upon the medication until they either recover or it is replaced by something more effective.

The result of stopping the medication is usually a return of or worsening of the symptoms or pain.

Addiction, however, is completely different, depending upon the addictiveness of the substance and the person.

Stopping use of an additive drug is usually accompanied by withdrawal symptoms - new problems that were not there before the drug was taken.

I very much doubt that Matthews was a cannabis addict as cannabis itself is not an addictive drug.

One thing is quite obvious though - sending him to prison will not (has not) help his whether or not be was dependent or addicted!

Sending a person to prison for doing something to ease suffering of self - such being that there was somebody else involved - is simply unjust.

Had Matthews been suffering from MS, had he been living in certain parts of the country (some NH areas refuse to prescribe) - he may have been prescribed cannabis in the form of an expensive extract called Sativex, also containing alcohol that brings its own problems for some people.

And guess what!

Sativex is simply cannabis in a liquid spray form, contains all the chemicals found in the plant - but just about 20 times more expensive

Jail term cut for back pain man who grew own cannabis
By Stuart Richards, April 24, 2012, Get Surrey

A MAN who grew cannabis in his loft and used the drug as a painkiller for chronic back problems has been granted a reduction in his prison sentence.
Pro-cannabis campaigner Winston Matthews, 55, of Upfield Close, Horley, took his case to the Court of Appeal last Thursday (April 19) and had his jail term cut from 16 to 12 months.
The appeal court heard that Matthews - who previously admitted breaching a suspended sentence, three counts of cultivating cannabis and two of possessing the drug - was due to receive a deferred sentence at Guildford Crown Court in February, so he could get help for his addiction, but was instead sent to prison after saying he would "struggle" not to take cannabis.
But senior judges have now reduced the sentence, ruling that the original term was "too long".
Judge Paul Batty QC, sitting with Lord Justice Pill and Mr Justice Spencer, said Matthews was first given a suspended sentence in August 2010 after 56 cannabis plants were found in his home.
His flat was searched by police later that month, and again in December that year, and a further 42 plants were discovered during those two raids.
Matthews was told he would receive a deferred sentence, in order to give him a chance to find alternative pain relief and stop using cannabis.
But, speaking directly to Judge Christopher Critchlow at Guildford Crown Court on February 3 this year, Matthews said he could not guarantee that he would stop using cannabis to alleviate his pain.
He was jailed three days later by Judge Suzan Matthews, who said she had no other option but to send him to prison due to his "persistent" offending.
Challenging the 16-month jail term last week, Matthews' lawyers argued Judge Matthews did not take enough account of his physical and mental problems which had led to him using cannabis for pain relief.
Barrister Ben Cooper said his client grew his own drugs in order to "bypass" criminals and used cannabis because he had chronic back pain, following an accident as a teenager, and a depressive illness.
Mr Cooper said Matthews was not eligible for a cannabis-based prescription drug as it is currently only given to Multiple Sclerosis sufferers, but that he had taken steps towards finding a lawful alternative form of pain relief.
Judge Batty said Matthews did deserve to go to prison, but that the sentence should have been shorter as it was his first jail term.
He added: "Even where cultivation is for the defendant's own use then custody is almost inevitable. The courts have tried and tried again so far as this appellant is concerned to avoid a custodial sentence.
"No matter what the personal mitigation may be, the time has to come at some point when custody cannot be avoided and that time has come for this appellant.
"That said, this is the appellant's first sentence of imprisonment and we have sympathy for his position.
"We think it is possible to slightly mitigate the length of the sentence without in any way criticising the perfectly proper approach the judge took in this case."

Man was not a criminal but was still punished for growing his medication

Although I am pleased that this man was not sent to prison immediately it does put him in the unenviable position of having to choose between pain or prescribed drugs that often have unpleasant and risk side-effects and will cost the NHS, or risk jail by growing more cannabis.

I think the judge was correct in saying Andrew Walters was no a "criminal" - after all, he had no victims and put nobody at risk - so I have to ask why he was in court in the first place: the answer is bad law that needs to be changed.

Cannabis grown to treat bad back
Oxford Mail, February 11 2012

A MAN walked free from court despite owning a cannabis factory that had produced almost £60,000 of the drug and was capable of yielding 7kg a year.
Andrew Walters was spared jail because a judge decided he was “not, by any standard definition, a criminal”.
The 50-year-old defendant grew cannabis at his home in West End, Witney, before it was raided on April 21 last year.
Police found 135 plants, £2,630 in cash and hundreds of grams of skunk.
Walters admitted cultivating a Class B drug, an offence he has previously committed.
He was given a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court on Friday because he used cannabis to self-medicate for a chronic bad back and, although he could have sold on any excess, he had not yet done so, Judge Patrick Eccles ruled.
The judge said: “The fact is, given the medical history, despite the quantity and despite the fact he has been told not to do it before, it seems it’s not in the public interest for him to serve an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”
He told Walters: “You’re not by any standard definition a criminal, but the fact is you are somebody who had decided because of your own difficulties you were entitled to break the law on a significant scale by cultivating cannabis to provide medication for your own condition.”

Judge Eccles questioned the actions of a custody sergeant at St Aldate’s police station who wrote to the court suggesting a caution would have been the best disposal of Walters.
He said: “It’s against the law, no matter how understanding or merciful the custody sergeant might be, but I pay respect to a police officer who has understanding of the difficulties you may face.”

Man grew drug in bid to cure back pain - punished for doing no harm!

Sirs,

There seems to be an absence of Justice in many UK courts when it comes to cannabis cases ("Man Grew Drugs in Bid to Cure Back Pain", News and Star, Feb 11)

Surely the mis-use of drugs act was not meant to stop people from growing plants to ease their pains, although the law does seem to give preference to pharmaceutical businesses that produce expensive pills and potions, including the whole-plant cannabis medicine Sativex, sold at too high a price for most people or NHS regions.

In this case, the "guilty" party (guilty without victims), Michael Richardson, according to the News and Star report, was growing cannabis for his own use but had said he may supply excess to his friends.  However,  the plants were not mature enough so why is the CPS talking about a street value of £6000 and " the prosecution intended to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim back any profit Richardson might have made from his crimes" whilst at the same time saying " the prosecution accepted it was not done on a commercial basis" - that does not make sense.

In a Just society, cannabis would be available to people that need it  and people would be allowed to grow their own for their own use in their own homes provided no threat or harm was done to others.  Take it off the streets and out of the hands of uncontrollable dealers - allow commercial cultivation and supply to adults and control the quality, protect consumers, tax profits and save a fortune on policing.

This case must have cost the taxpayer a lot of money and it has achieved nothing but forcing Mr Richardson to take pills for his back.

Alun Buffry

Man grew drug in bid to cure back pain
News and Star, Carlisle, Feb 11 2012
 news.carlisle@cngroup.co.uk
A MAN who grew cannabis plants in his bedroom because he thought the drug might cure his backache has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Police found 25 plants in two rooms when they raided Michael Richardson’s home in Barbara Plains, Eden Hall, Penrith.
He told them he had grown them from seed given to him by a fellow trader at Penrith market in the hope that they would help alleviate the back pain he had suffered intermittently since being injured playing rugby for Penrith 30 years ago.
Prosecutor Alan Lovett told Carlisle Crown Court yesterday that Richardson, 53, had grown the plants in an “unsophisticated” propagation system involving fertilisers, timers and lights from his tropical fish tank.
If they had been allowed to mature they could have produced cannabis with a street value of £6,000, he said.
Mr Lovett said the prosecution accepted it was not done on a commercial basis.
He said Richardson had started off growing the plants for his own benefit, but would have gone on to supply some of the drugs to his friends.
Richardson, who still works as a market trader when his bad back allows, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing the Class B drug.
In mitigation his barrister Marion Weir said he was on a cocktail of three painkillers and had hoped that cannabis might be able to help.
He had not had a chance to sample the drug he had produced by the time the police arrested him, she said.
Richardson was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid community work.
He was also put under an electronically tagged curfew to keep him indoors at home from 8pm to 5am every night for the next 15 weeks.
Mr Lovett told the court the prosecution intended to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim back any profit Richardson might have made from his crimes.
But Judge Peter Hughes QC urged him to think again since such action would cost more than the £6,000 that Richardson could be made to pay.
“I strongly urge you to consider whether the benefit to the public of the course you are seeking to take outweighs the possible cost that may be incurred by so doing,” he said.
The judge said that if Richardson had to pay such a bill he might lose his home – with the state then having to pay to find him somewhere else to live.
news.carlisle@cngroup.co.uk

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/man-grew-drug-in-bid-to-cure-back-pain-1.924146?referrerPath=news

Winston Matthews sent to prison for trying to ease his terrible backpain with home-grown plants

Please send a postcard or letter

Winston Matthews A8167CK
HMP High Down Prison
High Down Lane
Sutton
Surrey SM2 5PJ

(see below for more details about sending mail)

Winston Matthews has been sent to prison for 16 months in the UK for repeatedly growing his own medicinal cannabis plants in his home, to use as an effective alternative to dangerous and expensive pharmaceutical drugs.

British Justice has been thrown out.

This group is set up to help fight for Winston's early release and to support him as best we can.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Winston-Matthews/121612817891093?v=wall

Winston uses cannabis to ease the dreadful pains he suffers as a result of a back injury years ago, he is not a dealer, he is a patient

You can write to Winston Matthews Prison Number : A8167CK
AT HIGHDOWN PRISON, Highdown lane, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PJ

You can send funds to Winston by sending a cheque or postal order made to "HM Prison Service to THE GOVERNOR AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS, you must include your name and address and Winston's name and prison number it will be deposited into his prison account and passed to him on release.

You can write to your MP via www.writetothem.com asking them to highlight this case to the MP for Horley, surrey. This will mean Winston's MP will get requests/correspondence from MP's all over the UK.

If you go on Holiday send Winston a postcard, if your a lady send him a valentines, if you have sympathy for his illness send him a get well soon card, these things all help.

Thanks for your support.

Follow the link to add badge to your profile pic

http://www.picbadges.com/free-winston-matthews/2486686/
FREE WINSTON MATTHEWS
www.picbadges.com

Letters
When you write to a prisoner you must include your full name and address. In most prisons the letters are searched and can be read before being given to the prisoner.

You can write about anything but letters must not be obscene, name ‘victims’, or be a threat to discipline or security. Do not enclose any items with letters. Make sure you put sufficient postage to cover the costs (anything bigger than A5 counts as ‘large’). Prisoners can normally receive a ‘reasonable’ number of letters per week.

If you send greetings cards these should be of reasonable size and not padded or pouched. Do not send musical cards. If you are sending more than one card put them all inside one outer envelope, this saves postage. Remember to include your full details (you could put your details on a ‘Post-It’ note stuck to the card or include a letter which has your details).

Always put the prisoner’s full name and prison number. If the person has been moved their mail will be forwarded.

On conviction or transfer a prisoner should be given a ‘Reception’ letter to write to tell you where they are.

Prisoners are given a free letter each week to post out, they can send more, but at their own expense. Some prisons allow you to send in stamps.

Photographs
You can usually send in photographs but in some prisons these must not include any image of the prisoner. Child protection measures may mean that some prisoners may not receive pictures of children, unless they are their own and were not ‘victims’. If you send pictures of children include an explanatory note identifying who the children are and their relationship to the prisoner.

Money
It is not a good idea to send cash, this can get ‘lost’ in the prison. Prisons prefer postal orders, but you could send a cheque. Make these payable to ‘H M Prison Service’, write your name on the back and also the prisoner’s full name and prison number. Any money sent which is deemed to be ‘anonymous’ can be stopped.
Money you send is paid into the prisoner’s ‘Private Cash’ account and they get access to a certain amount (depending upon IEP) each week [currently £15.50 for Standard prisoners].

Facts about pain and cannabis

‘Christine’ says arthritis is not an excuse to take illegal drugs, and ‘it’s a known fact that cannabis leads to paranoia’ (LT, September 2).

Firstly, it is not an ‘illegal drug’, it is the possession, cultivation and supply that is illegal.

There is a big distinction there: the law is aimed at people, not substances.

Secondly, paranoia is a mental health problem experienced by some people and whilst cannabis may worsen it for some, it eases it for others – there is plenty of information online to confirm that.

An estimated 3 to 5million people in the UK use cannabis, many to ease dreadful pains and suffering that prescribed medication does not touch. They are not all paranoid, by far.

Furthermore, cannabis as plant material is now available on prescription, through doctors, pharmacists and clinics, in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Canada and many US states.

Pain is no excuse to break the law – but it is a justifiable reason and anybody who suffers or is watching somebody suffer ought to understand that.

People who possess or grow cannabis in their own homes for their own use and do no harm to others ought not to be punished.

That is where the law is at fault.

Alun Buffry, Norwich.


Source: Lancashire Evening Telegraph
Web: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/9255809.Facts_about_pain_and_cannabis/
Ref: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/opinion/letters/9230722.Pain_no_excuse_to_break_law/
Contact:: lt_letters@nqnw.co.uk

UK Judge Wants to Imprison Medicinal Cannabis Growers

SHEFFIELD’S top judge Alan Goldsack must be a very sad man.  He has threatened that anyone in South Yorkshire caught growing cannabis would be sent to prison immediately, and has started to carry out his threat.   Will he be sending people in wheelchairs to prison?

The Judge said " “Six out of the 14 cases on my list this morning involve producing cannabis on various scales.”

Well, Alan, that's your job to deal with the people that the police arrest and if they arrested fewer, you would see different people before you.  It sounds to me that you are complaining because they have all been up in court on the day day.  It is not the "fault" of one grower that gets caught that other growers that are caught appear before you on the same day - why should they be punished more heavily for that?

Rather than looking at statistics, ought you not be looking at the question of Justice?  You should be asking whether these people have done any harm or posed any threat to Public Health, Public Order, National Security or the Rights of Others - as demanded by Human Rights Law.

According to both national and international Human Rights Law there are strict criteria demanded before any authority can interfere with one's Private Life or Belief system - and if the activity is limited to ones Private Life and not involving others, that criteria is not fulfilled and the invasion (raid) by police may itself  be unlawful.

Surely the Judges should ask themselves whether the police raid and arrest were lawful or not before even looking at the case.

No victim, no harm, then how can this be a crime.  The fact that it may be against the law to cultivate cannabis  is NOT enough to justify the interference with one's life.

Worse still this judge is fully aware that the "punishment" dished out does not stop at the prison gates.

Judge Goldsack said " “A criminal conviction and jail is potentially going to ruin your life.
“It will potentially mean you lose your job and, if you are the breadwinner, that will impact on your family.
“You will find it difficult in future when you come out of prison to find a job because you have got a criminal record, particularly in the current economic climate, and there is a stigma that will remain with you for the rest of your life.”

So, Judge, by sending people to prison you are punishing them for the rest of their lives.  That cannot be right!

Britain, like many countries, has huge numbers of ill or injured people who cannot get any prescribed medication to ease their suffering sufficiently so have resorted to growing cannabis which they will say is more efficient with less risk of unpleasant side-effects.

In the Netherlands, Italy, German and other countries, cannabis plant material is available of prescription.  Not so in the UK.   The Schengen Agreement even allows people living in countries where cannabis is prescribed to them, to bring their medicinal cannabis with them; but if one lives in the UK and go and get prescribed cannabis abroad then one cannot bring it back to the UK legally.  That cannot be right!

In Canada, the High Court forced the Government to grow cannabis to meet the needs of the sick.  Not so in the UK.

One the contrary, here in Britain, our Government allows the Pharmaceutical companies to grow cannabis and to extract all the chemicals to make a spray containing alcohol.  "GW Pharmaceuticals" sell this whole-plant extract at extortionate prices, to the NHS.  It is called "Sativex" and in truth it is nothing more than cannabsi in alcohol with peppermint flavouring.

Yet anyone preferring to grow their own cannabis, saving the NHS money, doing no harm, easing their sysmtoms, will now be sent to prison.

Soon prisons will become hospitals - they will have to deal with people with serious ailments and injuries and pains - from Multiple Sclerosis to Epilepsy, Rheumatoid Arthritis to cancer.

We, the taxpayers, count the cost of these unjustifiable arrests, court cases, prison terms and pills.

We, the taxpayer, pay your wages Judge Goldsack, and we are not happy!

Judge vows to put anyone growing cannabis immediately behind bars : The Star, Sept 15 2011

SHEFFIELD’S top judge has issued a stark warning to anyone caught growing cannabis in South Yorkshire - immediate prison awaits.
The judge said the number of cases of production of the Class B drug was on the rise, and he was dealing with three or four at court every single day.
Many defendants were unaware they would be jailed immediately, he said - even if it was their first court appearance, they had no previous convictions, and they were growing the drug for their own use.
Judge Goldsack told one defendant: “Six out of the 14 cases on my list this morning involve producing cannabis on various scales.”
And he added a guideline case at the Court of Appeal earlier this year ruled sentences for cannabis-growing “should be higher than they had been”, and should “always result in immediate imprisonment unless there are exceptional circumstances”.
“The Court of Appeal - putting it in simple language - has said the courts have got to get tougher on this,” he said.
“Cannabis is a dangerous drug and those who bring it into existence must be punished.”
Among those jailed at Sheffield Crown Court were:
- Property developer Matthew Whitehead, aged 43, of Wightwizzle, Bradfield, Sheffield. He was jailed for three years and nine months after £94,000 worth of skunk cannabis was found in the garage loft space of the £1 million listed barn he was renovating in Cawthorne, Barnsley.
- Kevin Slater, 43, of Coltfield, Birdwell, Barnsley, who was given three years for producing cannabis, and possessing a Class C drug and cocaine with intent to supply both. His cannabis plants were found in the loft during a police raid on a property in Wisewood.
- Stuart Brown, 40, of Hay Green Lane, Birdwell, Barnsley, jailed for six months for producing eight cannabis plants with a street value of £9,140. His mother, who is suffering from a tumour in her eye and was accompanied by his elderly father, wept in the public gallery as he was sent down. The court heard Brown had lost his job at Mercedes Benz because of the court proceedings.
- Delroy Behan, 25, of Wellington Street, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, jailed for six months for cannabis production. Police found growing paraphernalia in the attic of the home he shared with partner Lisa Parton, 35, and seized five plants worth £9,070. Parton narrowly escaped custody after admitting allowing her home to be used for the production of cannabis. She was given a 26-week jail term suspended for a year and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Superintendent Richard Fewkes, in charge of South Yorkshire Police’s drugs strategy, said over the last five years officers in the county had seized cannabis with a street value of over £40 million.
He said the rise in production could be linked to the downgrading of cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug five years ago.
Warning others not to get involved in the drug’s production, he said: “A criminal conviction and jail is potentially going to ruin your life.
“It will potentially mean you lose your job and, if you are the breadwinner, that will impact on your family.
“You will find it difficult in future when you come out of prison to find a job because you have got a criminal record, particularly in the current economic climate, and there is a stigma that will remain with you for the rest of your life.”
He added: “It’s very difficult to hide the fact you are cultivating cannabis, even on a small scale. We undertake targeted operations but we are often alerted by members of the public. Neighbours might smell it or visitors might become suspicious.”

 

Man grew cannabis to ease his back pain: The Advertiser: August 9 2011

What a SHAME on UK Justice that this man has been dragged through Magistrates' and Crown Court and punished with a conditional discharge - for doing nothing more than growing cannabis to ease his pain and replace the prescribed diamorphine (heroin) that he says was not efficient.

I do not for one minute believe that the Misuse of Drugs Act was meant to stop people from growing plants that ease suffering or improve health - and certainly as there was no victim to his so-called "offence" he does not deserve punishment.

NO, the court does not deserve the congratulations that one reader writes here. A "conditional discharge" for three years - that means that if he grows again and gets court, he may be punished more severely and even sent to prison.

AND if he resorts again to prescribed diamorphine, one thing is sure - he will become addicted to it.

It is time that the police and courts stopped using the law against people in dire need of the pain-relieving and other beneficial properties of this remarkable plant, cannabis.

Above in response to:
Man grew cannabis to ease his back pain: The Advertiser: August 9 2011 By Daniel Howlett

A MAN suffering from a degenerative spinal condition was spared jail yesterday for growing cannabis to relieve his pain.
Stephen Tull, 59, was given a three-year conditional discharge at Teesside Crown Court after he admitted growing cannabis plants.
Richard Wilson, prosecuting, said that on May 12, police went to search another property in the street in Darlington where Tull lived.
Mr Wilson said: “When they arrived, they found the defendant outside of his property.
He ushered them in, telling the officers that he knew why they were there.
“When officers went upstairs they found a relatively professional set-up with 24 cannabis plants growing. He immediately admitted being a user of the drug and told police that it helped with his condition.”
Tull appeared at Darlington Magistrates’ Court on July 5, but magistrates felt their sentencing powers were not sufficient and sent the case to crown court.
Brian Russell, in mitigation, said: “He was in receipt of around £800 per month in benefits and used to spend around £200 per month on marijuana, which he found to be a much more effective painkiller then the diamorphine he is prescribed.
“He decided to save the money and spent around £1,500 setting up the cannabis farm, which he knew would save him money in the long term.
“He will not be growing cannabis again, but I think it is clear from the pre-sentence report that he will continue to use it into the future.”
Judge George Moorhouse said: “You have pleaded guilty to a very serious charge.
“However, you are suffering from a degenerative spinal condition and, by taking cannabis, your position was made more comfortable.”
He ordered that the cannabis and growing equipment be destroyed.
Speaking outside the court, Tull, who lives in the South Park area of Darlington, said: “I would just like to thank everybody for their kind support throughout this process.
“Me and my partner are both just really glad this whole thing is over. We can now put it behind us and get on with our lives.
“The three-year conditional discharge was a little more than I was expecting, but I will be keeping my nose clean, so it does not really matter.”

UNJUST that Carlisle man Alex Steventon has been punished for trying to relieve his back pain

It is totally UNJUST that Carlisle man Alex Steventon has been punished for trying to relieve his back pain ("Carlisle back-pain man grew cannabis for pain relief", News & Star, July 9).

Mr Steventon apparently grew cannabis at home and used it for pain relief in preference to the risky pain killers with possible dreadful side-effects, produced by the highly-profitable pharmaceutical companies.

Mr Steventon was fined £100 for the production offence and ordered to pay court costs of £85 and a £15 victim surcharge.

On top of everything else, despite the fact that he seemed not to have actually done any harm to anyone, he is made to pay a "victims surcharge" - it is Mr Steventon that is the victim of an unjust law.

Alun Buffry
Norwich

News and Star, Carlisle, July 9 2011
Carlisle back-pain man grew cannabis for pain relief

A Cumbrian man who suffered from rheumatism and back pain after a car crash started growing cannabis for pain relief.

City magistrates heard how 31-year-old Alex Steventon, of Carlisle, was in “severe and constant pain” after an accident in 2007 and prescribed medicine did not help.
Defence solicitor Geoff Clapp said Steventon, of Vasey Crescent, off Greystone Road, looked on the internet to see how to grow cannabis from seed.
“It was purely for medical use as pain relief,” Mr Clapp said.
Prosecutor Adrienne Harris said police went to Steventon’s home on June 24 on an unrelated matter but, when he answered the door, he asked them if they had “come about the cannabis”.
Officers found a room with specialised lighting and heating, plus drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to the production of Class B drug cannabis, and possession of the drug when he appeared before magistrates.
Steventon was fined £100 for the production offence and ordered to pay court costs of £85 and a £15 victim surcharge. There was no separate penalty for possession.

Jail for cannabis user

CANNABIS user Darren Edge has been jailed after he breached a community order.

The order was put in place after Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard police found 41.1 grams of the class-B drug worth £175 and 19.4 grams worth £80 at the defendant's home in Dundee Road, Etruria, on October 22, 2009.
Joanne Wallbanks, mitigating, said Edge, aged 31, uses cannabis for pain relief but has reduced his intake.
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones re-sentenced Edge to five months in prison.

 

It doesn't sound like Mr Edge has harmed anyone due to his possession of cannabis or breach of the order - and in fact it may well be that he has little choice but you use cannabis to ease his pain .. so .. why has he been sent to prison - I cannot see how it can possibly be in the public interest and as Bob comments - at taxpayers expense

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Jail-cannabis-user/article-3503117-detail/article.html

UK: Barrow: NHS Suffolk decision leaves MS sufferer living in pain

UK: Barrow: NHS Suffolk decision leaves MS sufferer living in pain

By Natalie Hoodless
East Anglian Daily Times

Monday 11 Apr 2011


A LEADING doctor is appalled by a health trust's reluctance to prescribe a revolutionary new drug that could drastically improve an MS sufferer's quality of life.

NHS Suffolk says it is not convinced Sativex, a cannabis derivative that reduces pain and spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, is safe but Dr William Notcutt refutes the trust's claims and argues it is simply not prepared to spend the money.

"This is all about cost," said Dr Notcutt, a consultant in pain management who is based at the James Paget University Hospital (JPUH) in Gorleston.

"I think it is appalling, I really do. I have been battling to get Sativex used but the primary care trust have not really given the green light for its widespread use."

Sativex was licensed for use in June last year and NHS Suffolk told the EADT that while their GPs would not be prescribing the drug, patients who were prescribed it by a specialist would be able to obtain it through the hospital.

However, MS patient Diana Hunt, of Barrow, near Bury St Edmunds, has been told by her neurologist that she still cannot have the drug because the health trust will not fund it.

Mrs Hunt, a former teacher who is now unable to walk as a result of the debilitating illness, said: "Originally we were told by the pharmacist that patients would be able to obtain the drug if specialists prescribed it and my neurologist is prepared to prescribe it but NHS Suffolk won't pay for it.

"It doesn't make sense. They said they would pay for it one minute and then they said they wouldn't.

"I don't know anyone who has been able to get funding for it. My neurologist said the only way for me to get it is to pay for it myself.

"Even then, I would have to find someone who would oversee it and take responsibility."

Mrs Hunt explained the drug costs £11 per day, and she would have to pay for private medical fees on top of that.

She was diagnosed with MS in 1996 and now has the secondary progressive form of the debilitating illness.

"I am in constant pain, I wake up in the night with spasms and it is like having cramp all the time.

"It is not so bad during the day because you can think about other things but at night there is nothing to take your mind off it.

"This derivative of cannabis is sprayed under your tongue and is supposed to reduce the spasticity. It doesn't give you the hallucinations that street cannabis would. It could relieve some of my symptoms."

Mrs Hunt added: "I don't know if it will help me because I haven't tried it. I am not being given the chance to try it."

Defending the cost, Dr Notcutt explained the drug had been trialed for 10 years before being approved because of its cannabis content.

He added: "You can tell within two or three weeks if a patient will get benefits from it. It is almost impossible to tell if some drugs are working so it is easy to trial it for a patient."

Andrew Hassan, NHS Suffolk's medical director, said: "It is important that any new drugs are proven to be safe and effective. At present there is inadequate information to support the prescribing of Sativex as an effective treatment for symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Should new evidence emerge we will look again at prescribing guidelines for this drug."

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/barrow_nhs_suffolk_decision_leaves_ms_sufferer_living_in_pain_1_860831