MS SUFFERER IN COURT OVER CANNABIS PLANTS

A woman with multiple sclerosis who was arrested after her private
"dispensary" of cannabis plants was targeted by drug thieves was given
a conditional discharge by magistrates yesterday.

Karin Grevis, a grandmother and professional translator who smoked
cannabis for pain relief, called for an official amnesty for other
medical users after the hearing in Cambridge.

The court heard that her stock of more than 100 conservatory plants
was entirely for personal use and would never have become an issue but
for rumours in criminal circles. Word that the illegal class C drug
was being cultivated at the 43-year-old Swiss national's cottage in
Longstanton, nine miles from Cambridge, apparently spread and the
plants were targeted by burglars while she was away.

Police discovered the remains of the hydroponic system and several
banks of plants when a neighbour reported a broken window and
suspected break-in in February.

The magistrates' chairman, Stephen Papworth, told Grevis: "We don't consider
there was any intention to make financial profit. We clearly understand the
issues relating to your medical condition but we have to put that to one
side in coming to our decision about the proper sentence."

Monica Lentin, defending, said that smoking her home-grown cannabis
once an hour every day had provided the only relief the translator
could find. She had consulted doctors, tried other pain relievers and
searched textbooks in vain. Since her arrest, she had given up growing
the drug and was facing constant pain.

Grevis, who limped into court with the help of a stick, said that
cannabis gave her "100% relief" and she had always preferred to grow
her own, rather than risk involvement with dealers. She said: "What
can I do now? The government should either make cannabis available on
the National Health Service or give people like me some sort of amnesty."