'POT EASED MY ANXIOUS SON'S MOOD SWINGS'

IN THE week that saw Jack Straw's son let off with a caution for supplying
cannabis, a woman in Sussex is coming to terms with a less lenient ruling,
writes Tarquin Cooper.

She too has a 17-year-old son, only he uses cannabis to alleviate terrible
mood swings and anxiety, not for recreational purposes. She supplied him
with the drug and now fears her conviction for possessing 13 plants with
intent to supply will devastate their lives.

Jane Huckell explains: "Last Thursday I was sentenced to 18 months'
probation for supplying him the drug. I was told I needed guidance, not
punishment, and should be grateful for the light sentence. Now I worry
whether I will be able to do a legal executive course I had applied for.

"What has been really unfair on my son is that the court failed to keep his
name secret. I promised him all along that it would not be mentioned and my
barrister asked that he be protected.

"His name was plastered everywhere. He found out in the press that his
father had committed suicide when he was young. I'd never told him because
I feared for his condition. Last weekend he was depressed about going back
to college. He fears what the other students are going to make of him."

The case highlights the discrepancy in how charges relating to cannabis are
dealt with across the country. It also demonstrates how the law fails the
people who need the drug for medicinal purposes.

"Cannabis calms him down," Jane continues. "He suffers from mood swings
three to four times a week and has difficulty sleeping and eating. His
problems are so severe I can't work. At one point I was afraid to leave the
house to go to the shop. He has missed so much school.

"Within seconds of smoking cannabis, however, he'd calm down and, quite
simply, function. I couldn't afford to buy cannabis off the street so I
decided to grow it. This is also safer - I only give him grass which is
cannabis in its purest form.

"Since the case he's stopped using it and been put on nasty drugs, which
make him look like a junkie."