The defendants maintain they have not personally benefited financially from the proceeds and, as they are not being charged with this, I see this comment as tantamount to slander. Marcus Davies maintains that after going over the accounts recently he disc

The defendants maintain they have not personally benefited financially from the proceeds and, as they are not being charged with this, I see this comment as tantamount to slander. Marcus Davies maintains that after going over the accounts recently he discovered that he had actually been left out-of-pocket despite taking out small amounts to cover his costs.

It should also be pointed out that full records were kept by THC4MS of all transactions, deposits, withdrawals, purchases, as well as patients' addresses and doctors' notes.

Also this operation was no secret, having been publicised in both the local and national media, including TV and radio interviews. The local police had also spoken to Mark on several occasions and Mark had told them exactly what he was doing years before the raid.

Donations were requested but not always received. Bars of Canna-biz chocolate were sent out to a number of sufferers who made no donation. The only requirement was proof that the recipient had MS. Mark had tried to open a bank account at Barclays for THC4MS but was refused due to the nature of the organisation and so a personal account had to be used.

None of these points is in dispute.

It's a sad state of affairs when terminally ill people in pain have to risk imprisonment and a criminal record just for seeking out the only treatment that is effective for them.

ANTONY STRINGFELLOW

Carlisle

REGARDLESS of the THC4MS trial outcome, sick people and those who help them will still face arrest and possible imprisonment.

Pain and discomfort come in a range of unpleasant flavours - nausea, sickness, throbbing, itching, aching, stabbing, stinging, pounding, piercing. But all have one thing in common. Those who endure it want it to stop.

Why is there such pressure in favour of the use of synthetics or THC Marinol (Dronabinol) and Nabilone rather than natural cannabis, to the extent that researchers and sick people who wish to use the latter are forced to use the former instead?

Most widely used analgesics today are essentially "folk remedies" that have served for centuries: morphine and other opiates derive from the opium poppy, and aspirin comes from willow bark. Although these treatments can give relief, each has its limitations.

Aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, cannot ease the most severe types of discomfort. And even opiates, generally the strongest medicines, do not work for everyone. Moreover, they can have serious side effects, and patients tend to become tolerant to them, requiring escalating doses to get any relief.

People living with a serious illness experiencing one or more of the discomforts above who use cannabis regard the harmful effects as a calculated risk. They do not give a hoot whether scientific evidence shows that cannabis is not efficacious medicine , or that it is potentially harmful. What they hope for is it might make them live as close to a healthy, productive life .

Why is there such determined resistance to the provision of natural cannabis for therapeutic purposes?

DON BARNARD

Legalise Cannabis Alliance

Norfolk