CANNABIS GRAN TO TAKE ON HOSPITAL

THE woman known as Britain's "cannabis gran" is on a collision
course with North East hospital bosses after vowing to take in her own
drugs-laced food.

South Shields-born Patricia Tabram, 69, who recently moved from
Humshaugh, near Hexham, Northumberland, to Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor,
County Durham, is due to be admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital
soon for a kidney operation.

She claims her GP told her she could take her own food to eat in
hospital.

But that food is sprinkled with cannabis powder.

And hospital bosses say they will notify the police if Mrs Tabram
brings in cannabis-flavoured food.

Mrs Tabram, who began taking cannabis four years ago to combat pain in
her neck and back, was part of a cookery club with more than 100
members who added cannabis to their recipes for "medicinal purposes".

But by publicly advocating the use of the drug, she faced eviction
from her former home and was also ordered to do 250 hours community
work by Carlisle Crown Court in March last year after being convicted
of growing and possessing cannabis.

But Mrs Tabram insisted yesterday her decision to move to Spennymoor
had nothing to do with the application by her landlords, Milecastle
Housing, to apply for a suspended eviction order.

"Some very good friends of mine moved from Humshaugh to County Durham,
and that influenced my decision to move too," she explained, adding:
"I was born in County Durham when South Shields was part of that
county, and I decided to return 'home.'"

She has now written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown explaining why she
does not trust NHS medicines, and listing the many side effects
associated with popular pharmaceutical drugs prescribed through the
NHS. These include dizziness, rashes, bruising and depression, she
claims.

Cannabis, on the other hand, is a natural herb like mint or sage, she
said. She added: "I will take my own food into hospital when I am
admitted for a problem I have with my kidney.

"By taking minute amounts of cannabis in my food I am free from pain.
I am not prepared to eat the food the hospital dishes out."

But a spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation
Trust said: "Although the Trust cannot comment on individual patient's
cases, if there was a suspicion of a patient bringing an illegal
substance into one of our hospitals it would be something we could not
condone.

"The Trust has a duty to protect all patients and as such all drugs on
NHS premises have to be prescribed drugs to ensure we safeguard
patients and these drugs are kept under lock and key for the
protection of all patients.

"If the Trust was to become aware of a patient intending to bring an
illegal substance into one of our hospitals then we would feel it
necessary to take action to prevent this.

"If the Trust found a patient to be in possession of an illegal
substance ... we would be duty bound to report the incident to the
police".

By taking minute amounts of cannabis in my food I am free from pain. I
am not prepared to eat the food the hospital dishes out.