Cannabis gran to take on hospital
Apr 7 2008 by Neil McKay, The Journal
THE woman known as Britain’s “cannabis gran” is on a collision course with North East hospital bosses after vowing to take in her own drugs-laced food.
South Shields-born Patricia Tabram, 69, who recently moved from Humshaugh, near Hexham, Northumberland, to Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, County Durham, is due to be admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital soon for a kidney operation.
She claims her GP told her she could take her own food to eat in hospital.
But that food is sprinkled with cannabis powder.
And hospital bosses say they will notify the police if Mrs Tabram brings in cannabis-flavoured food.
Mrs Tabram, who began taking cannabis four years ago to combat pain in her neck and back, was part of a cookery club with more than 100 members who added cannabis to their recipes for “medicinal purposes”.
But by publicly advocating the use of the drug, she faced eviction from her former home and was also ordered to do 250 hours community work by Carlisle Crown Court in March last year after being convicted of growing and possessing cannabis.
But Mrs Tabram insisted yesterday her decision to move to Spennymoor had nothing to do with the application by her landlords, Milecastle Housing, to apply for a suspended eviction order.
“Some very good friends of mine moved from Humshaugh to County Durham, and that influenced my decision to move too,” she explained, adding: “I was born in County Durham when South Shields was part of that county, and I decided to return ‘home.
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She has now written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown explaining why she does not trust NHS medicines, and listing the many side effects associated with popular pharmaceutical drugs prescribed through the NHS. These include dizziness, rashes, bruising and depression, she claims.
Cannabis, on the other hand, is a natural herb like mint or sage, she said. She added: “I will take my own food into hospital when I am admitted for a problem I have with my kidney.
“By taking minute amounts of cannabis in my food I am free from pain. I am not prepared to eat the food the hospital dishes out.
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But a spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “Although the Trust cannot comment on individual patient’s cases, if there was a suspicion of a patient bringing an illegal substance into one of our hospitals it would be something we could not condone.
“The Trust has a duty to protect all patients and as such all drugs on NHS premises have to be prescribed drugs to ensure we safeguard patients and these drugs are kept under lock and key for the protection of all patients.
“If the Trust was to become aware of a patient intending to bring an illegal substance into one of our hospitals then we would feel it necessary to take action to prevent this.
“If the Trust found a patient to be in possession of an illegal substance … we would be duty bound to report the incident to the police”.
By taking minute amounts of cannabis in my food I am free from pain. I am not prepared to eat the food the hospital dishes out.
http://www. journallive. co. uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/04/07/cannabis-gran-to-take-on-hospital-61634-20728543/
