Cannabis News
Cannabis reform looking more likely as court makes fair ruling for kindly dealer
For being a cannabis caregiver in the UK, Andrew Baines, 46, was facing almost 15 years in prison.
The father of two from Lincoln was apprehended in April 2020 after police found thirty plants and a kilogram of harvested plant in his home.
The police were notified he was making dubious deliveries to one of his patients by a local postal worker who spotted him in the area.
Cannabis remains out of reach for many who feel like they need it most at the moment in the UK.
Baines personally supplied hundreds of patients with oil from medical grade cannabis as part of a large network of interconnected patients.
Hundreds of testimonials have flooded in from those grateful patients, including a surprising inclusion from BBC radio presenter Becky Hayes.
She spoke at length about Andrew’s assistance with providing palliative care to her late father during his final months, following a throat cancer diagnosis.
“He travelled a long way to come and see myself and my dad to talk us through everything. He never charged for his time or asked for anything in return. His knowledge is incredible, he is the most selfless man and I can’t quite believe there are people in this world like him.” said Hayes.
“He continued to stay in contact with my family providing invaluable support and again made a long journey to see my father when he was near the end. This will never be forgotten by my family.”
Applauded, not punished
Grimsby Magistrates Court have now decided to be lenient to Baines as a result. A six-month community order is the lowest possible punishment for this offence.
At court the judge commented that “If the law was different, Mr. Baines would have been applauded, not punished.”
Hannah Sampson, Baines’s solicitor and part of his defense team, was shocked. She has worked on a number of cases in British law with cannabis involved.
“I have never seen a six-month community order imposed. If you steal a sandwich from Tesco, you get 12 months,” she said.
Sampson also later went on to say “Cases like this are fundamental in taking this back down to grassroots so the police and the prosecution are making the right decisions. This case, perhaps, earmarks a wind of change. This case, perhaps, means that finally, the law will catch up with the enormity of what cannabis can do to save lives.”
Cannabis reform in the UK
At some point, every legalising country faces a dilemma over cannabis. Namely, what is the stance on the illicit market.
Some reform has already occurred, but not sufficiently to help the vast majority of patients who could be candidates.
Private clinics are able to give out THC medications now, as part of trials, and CBD is a fully regulated industry growing in value every year.
The real issue is that the NHS are not able to reimburse patients for the prohibitive cost of the drug, and most patients are unwilling to prescribe it, even though they are able.
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have started medical cannabis cultivation and extraction already. In fact, in Guernsey, officials are even considering recreational use.
There are repeated calls even on the mainland to at least decriminalize personal possession and use. The winds are finally changing in the UK, after a long and protracted battle.
