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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: I won't give up cannabis - disabled man
Norwich Evening News Saturday 01 Mar 2003 A DISABLED man convicted of growing cannabis in his flat has said the threat of jail will not stop him smoking the drug because it eases his chronic back pain. Michael Sankey, 56, is now awaiting his next appearance in court after Norwich magistrates heard how police found 30 cannabis plants in his one-bedroom flat. It was the third time he has been caught growing cannabis in the past three years. Mr Sankey, of Gentry Place, on the Larkman estate, today said he would never stop smoking the drug because it provides much-needed relief for his crippling back pain and sciatica. The unemployed potter has been unable to work since 1995 because of his disability. He also suffers from arthritis and is hard of hearing. Speaking about his condition, he said: "It is totally depressing. At times I have almost been suicidal because of it. I am not going to get better and I have made a conscious decision to smoke dope. I do not use it as a painkiller, but it does allow me to accept my situation better." Mr Sankey appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court on Tuesday after admitting the offences on January 24. The court heard the plants were found in a wardrobe and the airing cupboard. Eighteen of them were described as small and the biggest were about three feet tall. Fully grown, their maximum street value was estimated at more than £3,000. The police also found about £3 worth of cannabis resin on a table. Mr Sankey, who was on incapacity benefit and has suffered with the back pain for 30 years, added: "I expect there is a slight possibility that I could go to jail, but I am hardly a threat to society. I could understand it if they caught me dealing it, but it is all for my personal use. "I will smoke it for the rest of my life. I have learned to live with it and I have learned to be myself." Mr Sankey has been bailed until he is sentenced for the offences at Norwich Crown Court.
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