Cannabis Three face jail for helping MS sufferers

Cannabis Three face jail for helping MS sufferers

For immediate release


The adage that a good deed never goes unpunished may well have been written for Mark Gibson, Lezley Gibson and Marcus Davies. These are the people behind THC4MS, an organisation whose sole purpose is to provide Multiple Sclerosis sufferers with a life-altering cannabis medication. A crime for which they due to stand trial at Carlisle Crown Court on the 1st February 2006.

Over the last five years, THC4MS have sent over 34,000 bars of CannaBiz chocolate to over 1800 bona-fide sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). All three concede they have broken the law but felt it essential because cannabis is often the only medicine which works for people with MS. Alternative treatments cost the NHS a fortune, aren't as effective and often come with severe side-effects.

Without cannabis people with MS suffer intolerable levels of pain, pain which has been compared to having barbed wire dragged up and down one's spine. Without cannabis people with MS cannot walk, cannot feed themselves and are entirely dependent upon a carer. With cannabis they regain a quality of life the likes of which the rest of us take for granted.

The Government understands the value of cannabis medicines and has allowed Sativex, a British made, cannabis-based, medicine to be imported from Canada on a temporary basis. Or rather it has said Sativex can be imported. As of now not a single MS sufferer has been granted a prescription.

Until that point seriously ill people must risk breaking the law to find their medicine. They must track down dealers and pay upwards of £150 for a week's supply. Until recently they could contact THC4MS and be given their cannabis chocolate for free. No more, THC4MS cannot continue helping until their court case has been resolved which means hundreds of people are condemned to more days full of excruciating pain.

The question is why the Crown Prosecution Service is charging them at this point in time. It's certainly not because the authorities have only just discovered what they've been doing. THC4MS' activities have for years been an open secret amongst the police, local government, the post office and the MS community as a whole.

A blind eye was turned at every opportunity. That blind eye was turned because THC4MS are doing nothing but good. Decent, honest, people helped whenever they could. Hundreds of highly qualified doctors have supposedly "conspired" with THC4MS to help their patients. Thousands of victims of Multiple Sclerosis have had relief from the THC4MS product.

It is not commonly known but jurors have the right, a right established in the Magna Carta, to throw out prosecutions purely on the basis that the law itself is wrong. It doesn't matter that the law has been broken, jurors can decide it shouldn't have been established in the first place and acquit on that basis alone.

There is a clear need for jurors to take action when our Government refuses to. Cannabis could help patients cope with the effects of cancer, HIV, arthritis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Cannabis is one of the most effective pain relievers in existence. Yet the Government will imprison those who use it medicinally or those who provide it to others for that purpose.

Over 85% of the British public support legalising cannabis for medicinal use. Until that happens people like THC4MS are providing an invaluable service to people in great need. Their prosecution has no justification and even less merit. It would be a tragic injustice were these three to serve even a minute in jail. In fact they should be celebrated as heroes rather than treated as villains.


Contacts:

Mark Gibson: 07880 804 718
Lezley Gibson: 01434 382 066
Marcus Davies: 07835 735 011

If you would like to contact patients THC4MS have helped please phone one of the numbers above and we will put you in touch


Notes for Editors

â?¢ THC4MS is a Medi-weed co-operative based in the UK that promotes the use of cannabis chocolate bars free of charge for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers. All that is required to be accepted is a doctors note confirming diagnosis of MS.

â?¢ THC4MS will continue to supply CannaBiz chocolate information to MS sufferers until there is a viable alternative available via the National Health Service

â?¢ THC4MS worked as a first point of contact for MS sufferers who wished to use cannabis as a medicine, but who had no access to it.

â?¢ THC4MS has now helped over 1800 Multiple Sclerosis sufferers with regular supplies of over 34,000 Canna-choc bars. The service is reliant a voluntary donation basis which enables the purchase of chocolate, stamps and envelopes and other consumables.

â?¢ The THC4MS website contains logo/graphics for the press at: http://www.thc4ms.org.uk/press.php

Another day is over and its time to go to bed.
All day I've suffered pain from my toes up to my head.
I have pain killers provided by the nhs,
for this awfull illnes known as MS.
It must cost a fortune what a waste of cash,
when all I need is a square of choc-hash.
The tablets don't work I can't sleep for the pain,
I will lay in agony in my bed yet again.
I wait for the postman to come to my door,
but my cannabis chocolate doesn't come any more.
This was my lifeline I could sleep at night,
the pain went away and life was again bright.
I could get up on my own and potter about
now I can't walk and I never get out.
I am aching all over and starting to sweat,
why hasn't my cannabis chocolate come yet.
Without the chocolate my lifes not worth living,
I'm told thc4ms has had to stop giving.
The law says its wrong they have been charged with dealing,
all they are doing is actually healing.

Good Poem, Good Thread too

Howdy Hvyfuel,

This kind of crap really sucks, I just spent a night in jail,this past Saturday,because I choose marijuana to relieve my back pain and arthritis,rather than take hydrocodone and muscle relaxors,or NSAID's,both of which,destroy the liver and hydrocodone is harder to quit than heroin. Alcohol dang sure ain't the answer either,for pain relief or whatever.

Basically,what society is saying that we must do,is to git hooked on deadly drugs and die..it's a death sentence that I refuse to assume,if possible. I don't know what 'they' have planned for me,probably 4 years of probation and community service..the problem is,is that because of my disability,I won't be able to go out and pick up trash..I'm going to make it as difficult as I can for the system around here,they will have to acknowledge my disability and medical needs..hopefully they'd rather drop the charges than take on my medical bills and treatment.

I'll pray for these folks and hopefully God will answer my prayer for protection of them from the authorities.

Have a good one !

Also you should of posted the link to sign the petition: http://www.ethical-business.com/defa...01&page=2#sigs :p

**********
Please post/email this article as far and wide as possible.

Thanks folks,
Hvy

u should go to these sites and post this then:

overgrow.com
uk420.com
http://www.weedtalk.com/forums/
everyonedoesit.com

;)

This is exactly what everyone wants, isn't it? Someone to go down for the rest of us? Remember the thread, "Are you willing (to give up freedom for Weed)", or something like that?

At least, these people will be able to shine some light on the courts, instead of a bunch of teens, who got busted for a "weed-party", right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robert42

u should go to these sites and post this then:

overgrow.com
uk420.com
http://www.weedtalk.com/forums/
everyonedoesit.com

;)

---

I'm sure uk420's covered, I think some of the people who run THC4MS hung out there.