Wilbur
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A Cumbrian couple were found guilty today of supplying thousands of cannabis-laced chocolate bars to multiple sclerosis sufferers for pain relief.
Mark Gibson, 42, and his wife Lezley, 42, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), both from Alston, along with Marcus Davies, 36, from St Ives, Cambridgeshire, were convicted of two counts each of conspiring to supply cannabis throughout 2004 and until February 2005.
The couple admitted running a cottage industry making and posting out more than 20,000 Canna-Biz bars containing around 3.5g of the drug to victims of the disease around the world, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
But in their testimonies they both insisted this was a free service funded by voluntary donations, which was only available to MS sufferers who provided a medical note confirming their condition.
Davies admitted running a website and post office box for the not-for-profit organisation Therapeutic Help from Cannabis for Multiple Sclerosis, thc4ms.org, but had denied any involvement in making or posting the chocolate.
Cash receipts totalling £30,000 were seized by police but the court heard Lezley Gibson told officers these referred to donations, which were ploughed “straight back in” to funding the Canna-Biz operation.
The couple told the jury that cannabis eases the symptoms of MS, a claim they said was backed up by medical research.
Lezley Gibson insisted conventional medicine had not helped her illness and if it were not for her cannabis use, she would be in a wheelchair by now.
All three defendants told the court they believed they had a defence of medical necessity in supplying the cannabis-laced bars, but this was rejected by the jury.
The Gibsons made no secret of their activities, with features on their chocolate operation appearing in both the national and regional media.
Cumbria Police had been aware of what the couple were up to for a number of years prior to their arrest, the court was told.
The case was adjourned to allow pre-sentence reports to be compiled.
All three defendants were ordered to return to court on January 26.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: newsandstar
Pubdate: 15 December 2006
Copyright: 2006 newsandstar
Contact: News & Star
Website: News & Star
Mark Gibson, 42, and his wife Lezley, 42, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), both from Alston, along with Marcus Davies, 36, from St Ives, Cambridgeshire, were convicted of two counts each of conspiring to supply cannabis throughout 2004 and until February 2005.
The couple admitted running a cottage industry making and posting out more than 20,000 Canna-Biz bars containing around 3.5g of the drug to victims of the disease around the world, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
But in their testimonies they both insisted this was a free service funded by voluntary donations, which was only available to MS sufferers who provided a medical note confirming their condition.
Davies admitted running a website and post office box for the not-for-profit organisation Therapeutic Help from Cannabis for Multiple Sclerosis, thc4ms.org, but had denied any involvement in making or posting the chocolate.
Cash receipts totalling £30,000 were seized by police but the court heard Lezley Gibson told officers these referred to donations, which were ploughed “straight back in” to funding the Canna-Biz operation.
The couple told the jury that cannabis eases the symptoms of MS, a claim they said was backed up by medical research.
Lezley Gibson insisted conventional medicine had not helped her illness and if it were not for her cannabis use, she would be in a wheelchair by now.
All three defendants told the court they believed they had a defence of medical necessity in supplying the cannabis-laced bars, but this was rejected by the jury.
The Gibsons made no secret of their activities, with features on their chocolate operation appearing in both the national and regional media.
Cumbria Police had been aware of what the couple were up to for a number of years prior to their arrest, the court was told.
The case was adjourned to allow pre-sentence reports to be compiled.
All three defendants were ordered to return to court on January 26.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: newsandstar
Pubdate: 15 December 2006
Copyright: 2006 newsandstar
Contact: News & Star
Website: News & Star
