Dope Growing Granny

Cannabis and its use for health reasons is once again in the headlines.

Patricia Tabram, 68, believes cannabis should be allowed to be used for health reasons and the law governing the drug should be changed.

Tabram, who refered to the drug as her "medicine", was found guilty of growing and possessing the drug but she felt dissappointed at the outcome of her trial.

She said: "I am disappointed in the attitude of the court regarding someone my age with my health problems and the way I deal with it. "

The jury heard how she used cannabis to ease her depression, as well as aches and pains she had sustained in two previous car crashes.

The use of Cannabis for health reasons remains a topic on the minds of both users and on some of those within the medical profession alike but the end is nowhere in sight.

As it stands, actions like Tabram's, are against the law, even though she would argue her reasons for usage are justified. So until the law is changed she must pay £1000 in court costs as well as having to endure 250 hours of unpaid community service, 175 hours' for cultivating four cannabis plants and a further 75 hours for possessing powdered cannabis.

Should the law be changed, or should it remain?

This is a very difficult topic with no right or wrong answers, just opinions and on that note here is my two pence worth.

I think the drug should be allowed for medical use but only if it is supervised by someone of the medical profession. More importantly, I would like to see the drug (Cannabis) be used for people who are in pain.

Like many people in the world today, I had a friend who passed away from Cancer and rest assured he was in excrutiable pain from his illness and if Cannabis could have helped relieve his pain, I would have administered it.

I also think there would have to be some sort of ranking system installed and created if cannabis was to be used for medical uses but a major problem arises from this, who decides on the priority of patients illnesses?

Another logical question resulting from this would be, do you honestly think in today's political arena, a doctor or nurse would openly endorse such a plan of action?

The answer; I do not think so, well not until the law is changed, first and foremost.

In relation to the Patricia Tabram case mentioned above, I must flag up some hypothetical questions which may cast doubt on the use of the drug for medicial reasons.

Firstly; In the Tabram atricle, it mentioned Tabram was invloved in two previous car crashes. If someone was to pick up the article and read it, they could think the two crashes may have been a consequence of taking the drug.

Therefore the question would be; what exactly are the consequences of taking the drug and what is the affect on the human body?

Secondly, the article also mentioned she took cannabis in order to combat depression, something she suffered as a result of loosing her son, but medical experts have well noted the links between cannabus and depression.

So could cannabus be fuelling Tabram's depression instead of battling it?

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