By Man who gave suffering patients cannabis avoids jail sentence
A man who supplied suffering people with medicinal cannabis oil has escaped a jail sentence in a landmark ruling after hundreds of cancer patients flocked to his defense.
As reported by The Independent, Andrew Baines, 46, was caught with more than a kilogram of the class B drug after a postman raised suspicions over his deliveries.
Baines was arrested after police found a kilogram of cannabis, which included 30 plants, with a street value of £10,000.
However, when his case became known, hundreds of testimonials were written defending his actions including letters from people who had used the oil to help with cancer symptoms.
Baines, who had himself battled cancer, supplied hundreds of patients with medicinal cannabis oil and faced a possible charge of possession with intent to supply and production of a controlled drug.
The Independent said in a landmark ruling at Grimsby Magistrates Court, the CPS decided not to pursue charges, instead giving him a six-month community order, the lowest possible punishment.
Mr Baines, from Lincoln, is a “Cancard” holder – a medical cannabis card recognised by police. Cannabis-based medicines were made legal in November 2018, to be prescribed only by specialists for patients who cannot be helped by other available drugs.
Because it is rarely prescribed on the NHS, patients are known to actively seek it from online and often illegally.
Carly Barton, founder of Cancard, which provides patients with a medical ID to carry medicinal cannabis and provided Mr Baines with a solicitor, said: “I salute the CPS and the CPJ in this case, who made the fair decision not to imprison Andrew for providing access to life-changing medicine for people in need. Andrew has improved the lives of thousands of people who were sent home to die. The alternative for those people was to access these medicines via the criminal market, which pours money into county lines and causes harm.
“Experts like Andrew are few and far between. Currently, they are bridging the gap that our healthcare system is not providing. Now we need to look at better access schemes so that those who need it can access cannabis, and so that our experts, like Andrew, are able to utilise their specialisms legally.”
