CANNABIS MEDICINE GRAN PREPARED TO GO TO PRISON

She Uses Drug to Ease Pain of Muscle Disease

A GRAN who suffers from a muscle disease has vowed to keep growing and
smoking cannabis to ease her pain - despite being warned she will be
sent straight to prison. Goanita Jacques, 48, was given a two-month
suspended sentence for producing the drug when she appeared at
Bradford Crown Court. If caught again she will be jailed.

But today she told the Courier: "If it's a crime to ease this agonising
pain, they will have to send me to prison."

The gran, of Hirst Grove, Dodnaze, Hebden Bridge, suffers from
fibromyalgia - a rare and incurable illness that causes muscles to
lock down.

She said: "There's no chance I will stop because I'm not doing
anything wrong. If I can't use this drug to numb my suffering they
might as well build me a coffin - I can't live in agony."

Miss Jacques was diagnosed with the illness 15 years ago. She is
unable to work or drive and after sleeping cannot move properly for
several hours.

She first tried cannabis as a painkiller after a medical friend told
her the drug was more effective than the near-20 prescribed medicines,
including opiate-based tablets, she takes each day.

She said: "These drugs don't work, that's why they prescribe so
many.

"Taking that amount obviously has side effects. They leave you dizzy
and sick. Cannabis doesn't and it's the only thing that relaxes the
pain."

Miss Jacques, who adds the drug to food as well as smoking it, began
growing the plants because she felt scared buying it.

She said: "I'm nearly 50. I don't want to be meeting dealers every
week. I've never sold any." She added it was not fair that heroin
addicts could get methadone on the NHS while she was criminalised for
producing a less-harmful substance.

"This is the one thing that makes my life bearable. No one wants to go
to prison but if I can't use cannabis I'm imprisoned by my own body
anyway. I won't grow it here but I will find somewhere and keep doing
it."

Gerry Crossley, of FibromyalgiaUK, said few drugs were effective
against the illness. He said: "We don't advocate anybody breaking the
law but are campaigning to get a number of drugs registered that
currently aren't."