Cannabis helped ease man's arthritis pain, court hears  

A man who used cannabis to ease the pain of his arthritis has vowed to carry on using the drug despite being caught growing his own supply at home.

Andrew Foster, aged 55, believes the drug should be legalised and the criminal justice system is wrong to stop patients who suffer from persistent back pain from using it.

He escaped with a suspended sentence at Exeter Crown Court but was warned he risks immediate imprisonment if he starts growing the drug again.

Foster was caught because police sniffed out the strong smell of the growing cannabis at his Devon home and found nine mature plants and 24 seedlings in two growing tents.

They also recovered £1,850 worth of harvested drugs but checks on his mobile confirmed his story that he did not sell his crop and kept it all for his own use.

Foster, of Grange Road, Torquay, admitted production and possession of cannabis and was jailed for 16 weeks, suspended for 12 months by Judge Erik Salomonsen.

He told him:"The dilemma you put before the court is that if the probation report is to be believed, you intend to doing it. As I have said, cannabis is a class B drug. It is illegal to possess or produce or supply.

"I am told it has been a significant feature of your life for over 30 years and one reason you take it is for a medical condition, which in your view it ameliorates. However, it is illegal and you have no prescription from your doctor."

Mr James Taghdissian, prosecuting, said police raided Foster's home in February after detecting the smell of cannabis and found the plants, seedlings and a tub of the drug.

The material already harvested would have been worth about £1,850 if sold on the street but it was accepted it was for personal use.

Mr Paul Dentith, defending, said Foster's role in the growing was lessened by the fact it was for his own medicinal use and there was no intention to supply others.

He said Foster has a history of back problems, sciatica, arthritis and pain in the hands and wrists which he finds is helped by cannabis, which he prefers to tablets and traditional medication.

http://www.middevongazette.co.uk/Cannabis-helped-ease-man-s-arthritis-pain-court/story-22820094-detail/story.html 26/08/2014