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UK: Cannabis helped me walk again, says wheelchair-bound Derby granddad Isaac Crowson Derby Telegraph Tuesday 14 Apr 2015 A WHEELCHAIR-bound grandfather suffering from multiple sclerosis said he could walk when he took cannabis. Tony Withers took the drug for a period of time after hearing it could help people with the disease. He was supplied the drug by a woman who was eventually warned by police to stop or face prosecution. The 71-year-old, who is confined to a wheelchair, ate several cannabis cakes and after taking them, in time, he could walk. He is calling on cannabis to be made legal for medical use. He said he would take it again but he fears being arrested and jailed which would mean missing valuable time with his grandchildren. Mr Withers of Petersham Drive, Alvaston, said: "The disease is so bad I can't have a shower without help. I need help getting dressed and getting washed. It's horrific. "I need a carer to do everything. "If I was taking the cannabis cakes now then I could be better. When I took it, there was a great improvement. "I felt a great big cloud lifting and I was more myself again. I felt like I had a future, something to live for." He believes the drug should be prescribed in chemists and he says it would save taxpayers money if it meant he didn't have to rely on help around the house. He said: "I believe it works, I'm a good example of that. "But I don't want to break the law and become a convicted criminal, that's not me. If I went and got it from any dealer, then I would be encouraging that activity and making them rich. "I'd be funding that law-breaking. I want to get it from a trip to the chemists and for it to become legal. "Taking cannabis could improve my quality of life. I deserve it." He said because of his age he fears he "hasn't got long left to fight this" and took the class B drug for the first time in 2003, when he was 60. The first time he could start to walk again was "very emotional", he said. After stopping taking cannabis, his health became worse in a matter of weeks. Tony said: "It was an amazing feeling and was like looking at the light at the end of the tunnel." The former RAF navigator said the person supplying the drug was a fellow MS sufferer who always required medical identification before handing out it. But later in the year he said her house was raided by police and she was warned to stop supplying it. Tony's wife, Gillian, said the stress of Tony's illness had made her ill. She said she fully supported him when he was taking the drug. She said: "I loved it when he was taking the cannabis because he was so much better. It was a remarkable transformation. "There was no stress and he was much fitter and better. He was like a different person. "It was remarkable. He was much happier and relaxed. It would be amazing if he could be on it full-time because it could have huge benefits." A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Coalition Government has no current plans to legalise cannabis or to change our approach to its use as a medicine. "Cannabis is a controlled substance, but manufacturers can develop cannabis-based medicines under licence. "We take an evidence-based approach to tackling the use and supply of drugs, and they are illegal where scientific and medical analysis has shown they are harmful to human health." http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Cannabis-helped-walk-says-wheelchair-bound/story-26326092-detail/story.html
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