UK: POLICE LOCK UP CANNABIS LEZLEY

POLICE LOCK UP CANNABIS LEZLEY

Source: News & Star, Carlisle, UK

Pub Date: Saturday January 5, 2002

Author: David Ottewell

Contact: keith.sutton@cumbrian-newspapers.co.uk

POLICE LOCK UP CANNABIS LEZLEY

A CUMBRIAN multiple sclerosis sufferer who won the legal right to smoke

cannabis as medicine has been locked up for four hours after being arrested

again for possession of the drug.

Lezley Gibson was carted off by officers who raided an illegal cannabis cafe in

Stockport she was visiting with her husband Mark.

The 37-year-old mother-of-one claims she had her shoelaces removed before being

locked in a cell until late on Thursday night with no food or water.

Mrs Gibson, of Alston, said yesterday that the trauma of finding herself in a

jail cell nearly triggered an MS attack.

"My legs went into spasm," she said. "I could not believe they were being so

cruel."

Mrs Gibson and husband Mark has travelled to Stockport to support cannabis

campaigner Colin Davies, owner of the Dutch Experience cafe in the town, who

was appearing in court on Thursday.

They were in the shop when it was raided by police. Mrs Gibson was arrested

after admitting having with her what she describes as "medicine."

She was taken to Stockport police station before being questioned by officers

and bailed without charge.

"I was totally devastated when they put me in a cell," she said. "I had no

food and no water."

Mrs Gibson hit the headlines in September 2000 when a Carlisle jury found her

not guilty, on the grounds of medical necessity, of possessing cannabis.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester police confirmed that a 37-year-old woman

had been arrested and released on bail without charge until February.