cannabisnews.com: 'Medical Need' Leads to Cannabis Acquittal





'Medical Need' Leads to Cannabis Acquittal
Posted by CN Staff on October 09, 2002 at 11:23:33 PT
Stephens has been using cannabis for five years
Source: BBC News 
A west Wales man who has been acquitted of smoking cannabis for medical reasons has said he hoped the decision would herald dramatic changes in the law. Brad Stephens, who suffers from the spinal condition cervical spondylosis, was overjoyed at the ruling by Carmarthen magistrates. Although juries have acquitted people on this basis, it is thought to be the first time a person had successfully argued before magistrates it is acceptable to use the drug for medicinal purposes rather than for pleasure. 
Mr Stephens, from Carmarthen, has been using cannabis for more than five years. The 45-year-old has been prescribed morphine, but argued conventional medicines were not strong enough. Mr Stephens hoped the case would be a legal landmark. "I've been convicted of possessing cannabis many times in the past," he said. "The law needs to be looked at very closely and must accept that, if people have a genuine illness with medical evidence to prove it, they should not be inside a court of law. "Cannabis gives me a better quality of life and gives me more control over my limbs," he said. Genuine need Mr Stephens added that cannabis gets rid of "underlying ache and numbness" which causes him discomfort. "I feel as if I have a 96-year-old inside of me and cannabis takes that old man away for a certain amount of time," he said. Mr Stephens' solicitor Mike Reed was delighted with the verdict, and said it was a case of genuine necessity. "Hopefully the message to CPS and police is that these cases should not be prosecuted. "It is a nonsense doctors cannot prescribe cannabis - until they can, this is an excellent decision which will avoid a great deal of pain and anxiety," he said. The Home Office would not confirm that the case makes legal history and said people can still be arrested for having cannabis. Even so, the government is considering new rules for police to follow in such cases. Source: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Wednesday, October 9, 2002Copyright: 2002 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/Contact: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by p4me on October 09, 2002 at 20:10:30 PT
Paragraph of the Day and thanks, Dankhank
Well, this not having a job is a lot of work, so I better rest up some for tomorrow. All, I can say about the Messiah Disk, Dankhank,in Bumper Sticker fashion of course, is what worth having is worth waiting for. Oh well, we will spread our enlightenment again tomorrow but I did run across a good paragraph to close out the day from http://www.counterpunch.org/kimmerling1009.html Paragraph follows:After Bush's speech, a Palestinian friend who, like me, is not an admirer of Yasser Arafat, reminded me of an old joke. A world survey conducted by the U.N. posed the following question: "Could you please give us your opinion about the food shortage in the rest of the world?" This was a huge failure due to the following reasons. In Africa, no one knows what "food" is. In Western Europe, no one knows what "shortage" is. In Eastern Europe no one knows what "opinion" is. In the United States no one knows what "rest of the world" means. Neither one of us laughed.DAD-D,1,2
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Comment #14 posted by afterburner on October 09, 2002 at 20:08:35 PT:
The Grandmother Has Arrived
Queen Elizabeth II has arrived, touring Grandmother's Land, Canada. With all the cannabis studies being pursued in UK and Canada, I wonder what she will be doing and talking about when she spends three days in Ottawa this week.The Medicine Line has been drawn once more.God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen: Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us; God save the Queen.
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Comment #13 posted by Dankhank on October 09, 2002 at 20:00:56 PT:
Messiah Disc
I got the disk from Brian Krumm a year or so ago and have added stuff as I have found good stuff to add:In Govt review section executive summaries of IOM study and Canadian Senate study, and two papers from Dr Russo and Vol.1 No1 of his Journal of Cannabis Theraputics and a few other things ... The original library is online at the Shaffer Library, but as I say, I have updated it. It's 500 Megs and would make a monstrous download.I welcome any other studies that would be appropriate for the CD, it has 200Meg of space left.The table of contents on the disc runs 49 pages in MS Word.A candidate running against Inhofe here in OK, couldn't believe it when I showed him the print out.He asked, "Is that the hard copy of the disc?"I said "No, I don't have that much paper, It's the table of contents ."
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Comment #12 posted by knox42897 on October 09, 2002 at 18:37:53 PT:
PROTEST RALLY TOMORROW
Who:      NRLE, the campaign to pass Question 9What:     A rally to support Question 9. Assemblywoman Chris Giunchiliangi will             
          be tapping a segment opposite the Federal Drug Czar on John 
          Ralston's show, "day one" on channel 8.When:     THURSDAY, October 10, 2002. 11:00 a.m. PRESS EVENT.
          Supporters please arrive by 10:15 a.m.Where:    Near the Channel 8 Studios. 3228 Channel 8 Drive, the cross streets 
          are paradise and convention center drive. We will meet outside the 
          parking garage and assemble on the sidewalk near the studios. We will 
          validate your parking ticket.Why:      To show our support for Question 9 and courageous spokespeople like 
          Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani. Nevadans DON'T appreciate the 
          Federal Government coming into our state and telling us how to vote on 
          Question 9. This is YOUR chance to be part of this historic effort. Look 
          professional-- the dress is business casual. We will have signs on hand 
          for supports to wave.
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Comment #11 posted by p4me on October 09, 2002 at 18:05:04 PT
I want my disk
Well I emailed Chris Bennett and his wife from the links furnished at pot-tv. I emailed Richard Cowan at marijuananews and I emailed CRRH.org. Let's talk about this disk and how we can spread it. What I sent was similar to this and went out under the heading of "The Messiah Disk."http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread14394.shtml#10Please read the following thread at Cannabisnews.com concerning a disk prepared by a nurse with over 700 medical studies on it. There are two people in the thread that have copies of the disk and one would be Dr. Russo. I am sure you know who he is and he can be contacted by clicking his underlined name in any comment. In Comment7 he refers to a Cannabis Research Library and a Bryan Krumm, RN.In comment8 Dankhank offers to send a disk to people that request it, and his name is underlined so you can email him by clicking his name. Someone at pot-tv needs to find out about this disk and get a copy. It is one mouse click away. Someone could actually comment on this thread even though registration is not immediate.It is in your hands now. We need to find out if this is the Messiah Disk we have been waiting for and someone with a bunch of servers needs to get it up on the Internet. Thanks for all the fine work you do at pot-tv and I hope your future works outshine the past ones.DAD-D,1,2
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Comment #10 posted by p4me on October 09, 2002 at 16:38:35 PT
Let's talk seriously about our Messiah Disk
Can't this disk just be given a name and use fileswapping software and spread it as an underground effort? Does the nurse have a problem with distributing her compilation in such a way? I think we have gold here and maybe someone besides myself can answer these big questions.DAD-D,1,2
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Comment #9 posted by p4me on October 09, 2002 at 16:34:26 PT
Ladies and Gentleman, We have a winner, (Disk) 
I am sure Dr. Russo meant Dankhank in comment7 when he was saying spread the disk that Dankhank first mentioned. We need to find a host on the web for it. It sure seems like the NORML and other reform organizations would want to distribute that kind of killer information.Is this the Messiah Disk we have all dreamed of. Let's find out. It seems that it is the information we need to end the no better than dirt phrases the parrots use. I have a favorite expression, that as yet I have not used- The cream always rises to the top. I will email pot-tv and RCCH.org and bring the disk to their attention and see if they can contact our patriotic and merciful nurse and get her permission to inform the world of her work using the World Wide Web. We have to get this information up on the web if the nurse allows. An expression is coming I really don't like but it seems appropriate. Mailing disk around the country is so 90's. I hate I said that too, but there are a lot of things I have come to hate lately.DAD-D,1,2
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Comment #8 posted by Dankhank on October 09, 2002 at 14:11:43 PT:
thanks Doc ...
Instinctively I knew ...I say again to those in here ...If you want a copy, email me ...
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Comment #7 posted by Ethan Russo MD on October 09, 2002 at 13:48:11 PT:
Cannabis Research Library
Dankhawk, the Cannabis Research Library, compiled by Bryan Krumm, RN, is an excellent compilation of research studies on cannabis. I think that politicians would be shocked by its scope, let alone the contents of the articles themselves.I would love to see it spread across the landscape. Learn, learn, learn! Teach, teach, teach!
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Comment #6 posted by Dankhank on October 09, 2002 at 13:38:46 PT:
apropos
Dr Russo, good to see your wisdom and knowledge here again today. I received my first request for a copy of the CD we discussed in your office this August.Perhaps you'd care to comment on what you think of the CD. Is it a good one? I have no medical training beyond what little I have read and learned, but feel it is a GOOD reference.I made good on my plan to send one to Assa, knowing it will probably do no good, but I can now say that he has ALL the information about Medical studies of Cannabis contained in the Cannabis Reference Library, and I know it to be true.Thanks for reminding me about Crown of Creation, I'm downloading it as I write. off topic? .... nah ... but ... case closed ...  :-)
Hemp N Stuff
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Comment #5 posted by Dark Star on October 09, 2002 at 13:15:53 PT
Thanks, I Needed That
Jefferson Airplane were labelled as revolutionaries, but play that song for kids today, and see if they don't relate.It is ashamed for youth to be so alienated from the leaders of this country, but if they are not, there has to be something wrong with their judgement and sensibilities.
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Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on October 09, 2002 at 13:01:58 PT:
This Calls for an a propos Song
from: Crown of Creation 
by Paul KantnerJefferson Airplane, 1968Soon you'll attain the stability you strive for 
In the only way that it's granted 
In a place among the fossils of our time 
 
In loyalty to their kind 
They cannot tolerate our minds 
And in loyalty to our kind 
We cannot tolerate their obstruction 
 
Life is change 
How it differs from the rocks 
I've seen their ways too often for my liking 
New worlds to gain 
My life is to survive 
And be alive 
For you 
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on October 09, 2002 at 12:37:45 PT:
No Flash in the Pan
I've been there, and talked to the people. Unlike many Americans, the British have true compassion for innocent animals and suffering humans. They have seen on the BBC Panorama program how cannabis extracts have allowed a man with severe spinal damage who was impotent to father a child. They have seen a woman with severe spasticity and tremor feed herself and ride a horse for the first time in years. They have listened to courageous people such as Clare Hodges and Susan Arnold who have gone public with their afflictions, and announced the treatment: cannabis.For the UK, there is no going back now, irrespective of US threats.
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Comment #2 posted by john wayne on October 09, 2002 at 12:13:31 PT
Landmark or
quickly reversed and buried legal flash-in-the-pan? Russo, I sure hope you've called it.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on October 09, 2002 at 12:07:59 PT:
Landmark
It is a landmark when reason prevails over ignorance. In time, repetition of the landmark is expected, and that represents normalization of attitutes. The UK is on an inexorable path to legalization of clinical cannabis and acceptance of "recreational" use. Even Kazakhstan is trying to do the same thing.The USA is the odd man out, on this, and increasingly, every issue.
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