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

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

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