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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Ireland: I'd rather be arrested than give up my dope
Donna Carton Ireland: Sunday Mirror
Sunday 17 Jun 2007 CANNABIS SMOKER UNREPENTANT PAUL Downey lights up another joint, takes a long drag and then vows: "l'd rather go to jail rather than give up cannabis." Disabled Paul, 37, has been warned he faces prison but said he needs the drug to keep pain and depression at bay. Fives years ago Paul had a job he loved with Michelin Tyres, a partner and a young son, Aiden, but now his life is completely and utterly changed. Today he lives alone, can't walk unaided, has limited use of his arms and his speech is impaired after a horrific road accident. "Marijuana is my medicine. It is what gets me through my days and I say, without a shadow of doubt, if I couldn't get any I would take my own life. "Marijuana keeps me from tipping over the edge. It keeps pain down and it keeps me from plunging into anxiety and depression. Its my calming medicine," he said. Paul, from Ballymena, Co. Antrim, had just arrived in Tennerife for a fun hol five years ago, when he fell asleep at the wheel of his hire car. Recalling the tragedy, he said: "I woke up in hospital, having been in a coma for two months. "It was the start of a long spell of recuperation and the beginning of a different life for me. "I stayed in hospital in Tenerife for a few months and was then transferred to a brain injury unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Dundee, Scotland. I was there for six months. "When I got out, the hard work began. I had to try to rehabilitate myself. Getting used to a life with much less mobility than I had was very difficult. "I couldn't go back to my job and readjusting to this new me was awful but I worked hard. "My partner couldn't cope with my being disabled, so eventually we split up and I moved back to Ireland because I needed to be near family who could help me. My mum lives nearby and she is brilliant. I couldn't manage without her." Paul was learning to cope with his new life back in Ballymena when he suffered a terrible setback. He said: "Two years ago, I was crossing a road on my mobility scooter at a zebra crossing when I was hit by a car. "I wasn't badly injured but my scooter was wrecked and it totally undermined my confidence and shattered my nerves. "It was a real setback for me. "After that I became anxious and irritable and suffered bouts of depression. I found the only thing that helped me was cannabis. "I have been to my GP and I tried an antidepressant she prescribed but it doesn't work for me. "The only medicine that helps me is marijuana. It calms me and take the edge off any pain. "I used to smoke dope when I was younger but I grew out of it, like a lot of people and I didn't smoke for years. "Its not that I have been using marijuana all my life and I'm now using the accident as an excuse. I only began smoking again when I realised I wasn't coping after the accident. "Its my life saver and I believe that whole heartedly." But just two weks ago, Paul was in court after being arrested for smoking cannabis in a shopping centre and received a two month jail sentence, suspended for two years. The Judge warned him any further breaches would result in his going straight to prison. Paul said: "I don't want to go to jail. I have never been in trouble but suddenly now I'm a criminal because I smoke a little marijuana to help me cope with my disability. "As far as I am concerned, there is no victim and no crime. I was upset to be in court but I won't quit smoking marijuana. "To me this is a human rights issue and if they send me to jail I will go on hunger strike. "The law needs to be changed so that people like me can legally grow their own marijuana for their own needs. I won't be hurting anyone else or have to buy it off the streets. "At the moment it costs me quite a bit of money to buy, but I need it. "Its something the new devolved government in Northern Ireland should think about, changing the law on this. There are many people like me who could grow their own supply and they would be hurting no-one." Paul talks to like-minded people on the Humanitarian Medical Distribution website, which was set up to help the ill get cannabis. Stuart Wyatt, who established the network, said: "The Humedi network is an expanding de-centralised network of sick people, helpers and cannabis growers who believe in one thing, and one thing only - that those with a genuine chronic medicinal need, should be allowed access to clean and safe medication. "The government and the NHS have abandoned thousands of people to a lifetime of misery and pain - in total violation of human, moral and ethical rights. Why should medicinal users be denied such a drug? "History has proven that cannabis is not a demonic drug. Scientific research, both old and new, has proven the miraculous medicinal benefits of cannabis." Paul said: "I can talk to people on the chat rooms and I would like to see the network expanded in Northern Ireland. "Like all those people, all I want is safe access to a legal supply of marijuana. I don't want to live in fear of the PSNI stopping me the next time I light up a joint becaue then I'll end up spending two months in jail. "Like I said, I don't want to go to jail but I won't give up my marijuana." CANNABIS LAW IN IRELAND In THE NORTH, cannabis is a Class C drug. It is still a controlled drug. Possession, production and supply of cannabis is still illegal. The maximum penalty for supply, dealing, production and trafficking is 14 years imprisonment. It is unlikely that adults caught in possession of cannabis will be arrested. Most offences of possession result in a warning and confiscation of the drug. But some instances may lead to arrest and possible caution or prosecution, including: repeat offending; smoking in a public place; instances where public order is threatened or possession of cannabis in the vicinity of premises used by children. In THE SOUTH, cannabis is a class B drug. It is illegal to possess cannabis but it isn't an instantly arrestable offence. Anyone stopped with a small amount, obviously for personal use, will have the drug confiscated, be searched and asked for ID. Those with a small amount and proper ID will be allowed to go but may recieve a summons. Posession of a large amount of cannabis or an inability to provide proper ID at the time of questioning could result in an arrest. CANNABIS WARNINGS THE organisation Drugscope, using information from the UK's National Addiction Centre warns that cannabis is not a harm-free drug. It states: "The primary health problems associated with the drug are the possibility of respiratory disorders." Cannabis use may also exacerbate existing mental health problems. There is evidence that large doses of THC (the active ingredient) can produce an acute psychosis marked by confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations and anxiety. Such reactions are rare and occur usually after heavy cannabis use, or, after acute cannabis use by vulnerable individuals.
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