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UK: GP bought cannabis to ease pain of dying patient
Robin Young and Lewis Smith The Times
Tuesday 03 Feb 2004 A DOCTOR has admitted buying cannabis to give it to a dying patient as a 'wellintentioned' element of her 'pain management' programme, the General Medical Council professional conduct committee was told. David Thornton, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, was treating a 56-year-old woman, identified only as Patient A, who had terminal cancer. When she began suffering pain that did not respond to other drugs, Dr Thornton contacted another of his patients, a known drug user identified at the hearing only as Patient B, and bought cannabis from him. The doctor, a junior partner at a surgery in Bolsover, then twice gave the drug to the cancer victim through her sister, in December 2001 and January 2002. Patient A died in January 2002 after, allegedly, a large injection of diamorphine, also known as heroin, administered by Dr Thornton. She had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy in hospital but asked to go home when told that she had no chance of beating the disease, Dafydd Enoch, for the GMC, told the Manchester hearing. Mr Enoch said that Dr Thornton may have been trying to act in the best interests of Patient A in buying the cannabis, but his involvement of Patient B was a 'gross abuse' of his position. He said: 'The evidence demonstrated that Dr Thornton is prepared to break the law and grossly abuse his position by involving one of his other patients in a chain of drug supply. He may well have been well-intentioned as regards the cannabis for Patient A. However, his involvement of Patient B is wholly unjustifiable on any basis.' Mr Enoch said that the large dose of diamorphine was both inexplicable and excessive, but the doctor maintained that it was appropriate for the patient's level of pain. The doctor, who qualified in 1987, admitted giving the cannabis, but denied he had given Patient A an excessive dose of diamorphine, the hearing was told. When interviewed by Derbyshire Constabulary in November 2002, Dr Thornton agreed that he had bought cannabis, but claimed it was for personal use. He was given a formal police caution, after which he contacted his employers, at North-Eastern Derbyshire Primary Care Trust. In a meeting with William Jones, its director of operations, he admitted supplying Patient A with the cannabis. Mr Jones told the tribunal: 'Dr Thornton did make comments about the fact that this was the only occasion he had done anything like this. He was terribly remorseful. 'He was very agitated and concerned and on several occasions he said to me it was a very bad call and he obviously realised he had made a very significant error.' Mr Jones, who described Dr Thornton as 'extremely committed' to the care of his patients, said that the GP also confessed to having used cannabis to help him to get over his brother-in-law's suicide. Mr Jones said that Dr Thornton mentioned giving Patient A 500mg of diamorphine on the day of her death, in two intravenous doses. Dr Thornton denies serious professional misconduct. The hearing is scheduled to last five days. Dr Thornton is expected to give evidence today.
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