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Court told that addict's drugs were 'medicinal'
A RECOVERING heroin addict found in possession of cannabis in Bridlington told police it was medicinal.
Anna Simpson, 42, of West Street, Bridlington pleaded guilty to possession of five grammes of the controlled class B drug when she appeared before magistrates in Bridlington last Wednesday.
Prosecutor Emma Dann told the bench that Simpson was stopped and searched by police while walking along St Thomas Road, in Bridlington on the afternoon of February 22.
Simpson was street bailed to appeared at Bridlington Police Station after officers found two bags of a "herbal substance" in her jacket pockets.
In interview she told officers the substance was cannabis, it was for personal use as she suffers from arthritis and had paid 40 for it.
In mitigation Ed Cunnah told the court that Simpson had had a problem with drugs, mainly heroin, for numerous years but for the past several years had been taking advantage of a methadone programme and "staying out of trouble."
"You can tell how bad her drug problem has been in the past when I say to you that the methadone was increased to a level of 200 millilitres per day which is virtually the highest I have ever heard of," Mr Cunnah said.
"Through her own efforts she has managed to get it down to 165 millilitres.
"That is well over twice the normal dose would be even now," he added.
Mr Cunnah explained to the bench that the problem with methadone is it blocks receptors in the body, some of which deal with pain relief.
He said that Simpson suffers from arthritis and the only thing that blocks the pain now is cannabis.
"She uses the cannabis effectively as pain relief for the arthritis, there's virtually nothing else that can work," he said.
Passing sentence presiding magistrate Tony Hardman said the bench had noted the fact that Simpson had kept out of trouble for the past three years and added: "We accept that it's for medicinal purposes."
Simpson was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay 85 court costs.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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