PRINCE ASKS MS SUFFERER IF SHE'S TRIED CANNABIS

THE Prince of Wales asked a multiple sclerosis sufferer yesterday if
she had tried using cannabis to help her condition.

Prince Charles, on the fourth day of a week of engagements in
Scotland, put the question to June McLachlan, 52, during a visit to
the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow.

She told him that she would be willing to try it, but feared she would
be "out of her mind" if she smoked the drug. The prince then advised
her to "stick to reflexology". The Scottish courts have recently shown
leniency to several MS sufferers facing drugs charges after they
admitted using cannabis to alleviate their symptoms, and senior police
officers and politicians have called for its use to be approved for
medical reasons.

Alistair Ramsay, the director of Scotland Against Drugs, said the
prince's question was "understandable". He added: "I am sure it goes
through anybody's mind talking to an MS sufferer whether or not they
have tried the full range of treatments."