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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Appeal to free sick musician from jail Roddy Ashworth The East Anglian Daily Times Friday 23 Aug 2002 AN appeal is due to be launched today to free a jailed pop musician who claims he grew cannabis for medicinal reasons. Lance Ridler who played guitar with world famous electro-punk dance band Prodigy was jailed for a month on Wednesday by Colchester magistrates after he admitted cultivating 37 cannabis plants. Fire-fighters discovered the plants after a blaze from a neighbouring property spread through Ridler's Braintree home in July His partner Rebecca Cass, 27, said conventional medicines had not helped Ridler who had turned to cannabis to see if it would alleviate his neurological condition. She added that he needed to see a doctor on Saturday and that she hoped the appeal, to be lodged at Chelmsford Crown Court, could see him released today The guitarist, whose studio was destroyed in the July blaze, along with much of his recorded music, became ill with neurological problems in November. Ridler played guitar on Prodigy's 1995 Music For The Jilted Generation album, and was responsible for the guitar sounds on the renowned track Voodoo People. More recently he had been working on producing his own material at his home studio, as well as earning money as a painter and decorator However, since November he had found working on either almost impossible, Ms Cass said, as he was suffering from pain, numbness and weakness in his limbs. "He's in a terrible state," she added. "if he closes his eyes while he's sitting down, he falls over. He should be in hospital. He had letters from the doctor "He wasn't growing the plants for commercial use or for financial gain. He was doing it to help relieve his condition." Magistrates sent Ridler to jail for two months with one month suspended due to the amount of cannabis - alleged to have a potential street value of more than £18,000 - he had been growing. After the hearing, Ridler's stepfather Tom Wood, 57, from Bradwell, near Braintree, said 'He is not fit to go to prison. He should be in hospital. He can barely walk. The GP said he should see a specialist'.
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