You
are in Medical / THC4MS The
reply, for what it's worth, can be seen here UKCIA
Harm Reduction
The Greenhouse
Norwich
NR1 1NR The
Home Secretary
John Reid
January
7th 2006
Dear
Mr Reid
On
December 16th 2006 Mark and Lesley Gibson, together with Marcus Davies were convicted
of conspiracy to supply cannabis in the form of "Canna-Biz" [1] chocolate
to people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis at Carlisle Crown Court.
These
ill people were all adults, all provided confirmation notes from doctors and were
all fully aware of the nature of the "Canna-Biz" they were supplied
with. No fee was charged for the service. This
was an interesting conspiracy given that it was in the public domain for several
years, the people concerned made no secret of what they were doing and indeed
made every effort to tell the world about it, including the authorities - government,
police and many documented NHS Employees. The local Cumbrian police were aware
of their activities, a fact which gave some reassurance to the Gibsons that what
they were doing was being tolerated.
Many
people assisted the THC4MS campaign, the help ranged from providing the cannabis
used to make the therapeutic chocolate by home growers to donating funds or other
facilities. These people assisted in the way that they did in response to public
appeals from the three convicted people. If
this was indeed a conspiracy, it included far more than the three people charged
and was in effect aided and abetted by the police. The
Legalise Cannabis Alliance website forum has the names of some 60 people who were
proud to assist with the provision of pain relief to ill people [2]. Does the
CPS plan to charge these people as well? This
trial and victimisation of these well intentioned people has caused great suffering
not only to themselves - Lesley Gibson is an MS sufferer - but also to the many
hundreds of ill people they were supplying. The trial has achieved nothing in
terms of reducing crime and has not been in any way in the public interest, so
why was it allowed to continue?
THC4MS
had always made it clear that if a legal form of cannabis were to be made available
to MS sufferers they would immediately cease production of their "Canna-Biz",
but for years the government refused. Following
the police raids on THC4MS the then Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP for Norwich
South bent the law and allowed the "Sativex" spray, which is a whole
cannabis medicine to be prescribed by doctors on a "named patient" basis.
This can only have been a cynical attempt to deflect criticism. Had he agreed
to do this before, as he was asked by the THC4MS campaigners, they would have
stopped supplying the "Canna-Biz" and there would have been no need
for any court case.
Because
of the shutting down of THC4MS and because Sativex is in fact next to impossible
to get for most people - each application has to be granted a special licence
by the Home Office - hundreds of MS sufferers are now in pain having been deprived
of an effective supply of "Canna-Biz".
Withholding
pain relief medicine is surely one of the definitions of torture, but that's what
this government is doing with this pathetic attempt to look "tough on drugs".
So
what of the people left to suffer? Most will probably suffer in silence - these
are ill people of course, they're not going to protest. Some will source their
own supply of cannabis from street dealers and will now be experiencing the mass
contamination with microscopic glass beads. - See the cannabis contamination alert
[3]. The
conviction of these people is perhaps law enforcement, but it is not justice.
We
call on you to urgently review this situation, to make cannabis available to medicinal
users and to stop this persecution of decent, honest and compassionate people. Derek
Williams
For UKCIA
http://www.ukcia.org is the website of the legalise
cannabis campaigns
pp
Adam Metcalf
UKCIA webteam
Alun Buffry
Legalise Cannabis Alliance
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Notes:
[1] "Canna-Biz" was named after the late Elizabeth "Biz"
Ivol, a medical cannabis user and campaigner who was also threatened with the
law, but who died an agonising death having been denied her medicine before she
had her day in court.
http://www.ccguide.org.uk/bizivol.html
[2]
Legalise Cannabis Alliance forum
http://www.lca-uk.org/lcaforum/viewtopic.php?t=861
[3]
Cannabis contamination alert
http://www.cannaprag.net/comment/070101.htm | 
