POTHEAD GRANNY SPARED JAIL
Source: Reuters
Date: April 8, 2005
Subj: Pothead granny spared jail
Author: Lydia Bell
Cited: Pat Tabram http://www.ccguide.org/pattabram.php
LONDON (Reuters) - A 66-year-old grandmother who has a taste for
marijuana casserole and has admitted to sharing cannabis-laced cookies with
fellow pensioners has been spared jail.
Patricia Tabram from East Lea, who said she ate cannabis in food to alleviate
pains in her neck and back, pleaded guilty to possession of the drug with
intent to supply.
But Judge David Hodson said on Friday he would not make a
"martyr" of her when she returned to Newcastle Crown Court for
sentencing. Instead, she received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
Outside the court, she said she intended to keep taking the drug
"because it is far better than any tablets you can get from the
doctor".
The grey-haired granny has become a symbol for those who want to
legalise pot. She is even writing a book.
Last year, the government downgraded cannabis from the same class as
cocaine and ecstasy to a lower class of illegal drug, which means police are
not expected to arrest people for possessing small amounts, but can jail them
for supplying it to others.
Police said they raided Tabram's home after a tip-off in May last year
and found 31 cannabis plants along with hydroponic cultivation equipment. In a
later raid they found 47 bags of "skunk", a particularly strong form
of the drug.
The set-up at Tabram's home "bore all the hallmarks of any
sophisticated drug dealer", police said in a statement.