MS sufferer in court over cannabis plants (UK)

[Lunar Loops]

This from The Guardian (UK):
MS sufferer in court over cannabis plants


Martin Wainwright
Tuesday May 22, 2007
The Guardian
A woman with multiple sclerosis who was arrested after her private "dispensary" of cannabis plants was targeted by drug thieves was given a conditional discharge by magistrates yesterday.
Karin Grevis, a grandmother and professional translator who smoked cannabis for pain relief, called for an official amnesty for other medical users after the hearing in Cambridge.
The court heard that her stock of more than 100 conservatory plants was entirely for personal use and would never have become an issue but for rumours in criminal circles. Word that the illegal class C drug was being cultivated at the 43-year-old Swiss national's cottage in Longstanton, nine miles from Cambridge, apparently spread and the plants were targeted by burglars while she was away.
Police discovered the remains of the hydroponic system and several banks of plants when a neighbour reported a broken window and suspected break-in in February.
The magistrates' chairman, Stephen Papworth, told Grevis: "We don't consider there was any intention to make financial profit. We clearly understand the issues relating to your medical condition but we have to put that to one side in coming to our decision about the proper sentence."
Monica Lentin, defending, said that smoking her home-grown cannabis once an hour every day had provided the only relief the translator could find. She had consulted doctors, tried other pain relievers and searched textbooks in vain. Since her arrest, she had given up growing the drug and was facing constant pain. Grevis, who limped into court with the help of a stick, said that cannabis gave her "100% relief" and she had always preferred to grow her own, rather than risk involvement with dealers. She said: "What can I do now? The government should either make cannabis available on the National Health Service or give people like me some sort of amnesty."

[old hippie 56]

Another senseless victim of the global war on drugs.

[enquirewithin]

Not a bad magistrate though-- he was quite tolerant in the circumstances.

[grecian]

A similar case and a result that will hopefully go some way towards setting a precedent for non-custodial sentences in cases of personal cannabis cultivation for medical reasons (such as the above).

A small battle won perhaps?

From the Cambridge News

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news...0e0d2b77c7.lpf

A MAN who grew himself a kilo of cannabis in the bedroom of his home to smoke to relieve a depressive illness has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Thirty-nine plants growing in a specialised hydroponic set-up were discovered at Kean Chapman's home at Ross Street, Cambridge, after his girlfriend "shopped" him to police, the city's crown court was told.

The 38-year-old's personal cultivating operation came to light after police were called to the house over a domestic dispute in February last year and Chapman's partner, Clare Nichols, showed officers the plants.

Meanwhile, Chapman had fled to Essex, where he went into a police station and made allegations about his girlfriend and drugs.

Chapman was handed a nine month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for growing the drug, whose yield at almost a kilogram was valued at more than £3,000.

The hydroponic set-up had specialised lighting, ventilation and watering systems, Sara Walker, for the prosecution, told the court.

It was accepted that Chapman, who suffers from bipolar disorder and is said to have attempted suicide in the past, cultivated the drug to use for self-medication and not for supply to others.

Ms Nichols was also arrested and charged in respect of drugs offences following the find, but the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence against her when her case came to court, and she was formally cleared.

Chapman was jailed for 12 weeks in September 2005 for growing cannabis in the loft at his former property in Braintree, Essex.

He had used "substantial amounts" of the drug to help him cope with chronic depression, but now realised the drug probably exacerbated his condition, Kevin Toomey, mitigating, told the court.

Since being caught for cultivation a second time he has engaged with psychiatric services and been given appropriate medication for his illness, which has helped it stabilise, he added, and Chapman now no longer uses cannabis or alcohol.

Passing sentence after reading probation and psychiatric reports, Judge Jonathan Haworth said on the face of it the cultivation merited a prison sentence.

But it was clear that a lot of time had elapsed since the offence, and Chapman had reacted positively to intervention and help for his condition, he added.

In addition to the suspended jail sentence, he imposed 18 months probation supervision and warned Chapman, who admitted the cannabis cultivation, that: "Should you come back to this court for any breach of that supervision or for re-offending, you will almost certainly start with this nine-month prison sentence."

[zoo]

'After his girlfriend "shopped" him to police'

Blimey. Thats unlucky.

[enquirewithin]

The 38-year-old's personal cultivating operation came to light after police were called to the house over a domestic dispute in February last year and Chapman's partner, Clare Nichols, showed officers the plants.

Meanwhile, Chapman had fled to Essex, where he went into a police station and made allegations about his girlfriend and drugs.

Lovely couple-- they shopped each other!