Andrew Baines was arrested in April 2020 after police discovered a kilo (2.2 pounds) of cannabis with a street value of £10,000 ($12,505) and 30 cannabis plants growing in English East Midlands' home. The man, however, avoided a jail sentence. How is this possible?
Well, after hundreds of cancer patients submitted letters to the court in his defense, deputy district Judge Geraldine Kelly made a landmark ruling honoring her profession.
To Be Applauded Not Punished
When announcing her ruling at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, Kelly said: “If the law was different, Mr. Baines would have been applauded, not punished. I take the view that a community order is justified in this case, not because of you, but because of the message we must send,” she said, per The Independent.
Baines, a cancer patient himself and father of two, was supplying hundreds of patients with medical cannabis oils. These patients felt the need to give him something in return – a chance to walk free. Some of the testimonials were specific about how Baines helped save their lives.
Thanks to their support, Baines, 46, was spared a 15-year sentence and received the lowest possible punishment – a six-month community order. His attorney, Hannah Sampson, said: “I have never seen a six-month community order imposed. If you steal a sandwich from Tesco you get 12 months.”
Why Was Baines Doing This?
One wonders why Baines was supplying patients with marijuana oil when medical cannabis has been legal in the UK for nearly four years.
Despite the UK's medical cannabis program, many patients still cannot get a prescription and have no other option than to buy from illegal sources. Baines, who has his own “Cancard” – a medical cannabis card – wanted to help those who were unable to access it, as cannabis is not commonly prescribed by the National Health Service.
Attorney Explains - Wind Of Change
“Cases like this are fundamental in taking this back down to grassroots so the police and the prosecution are making the right decisions. They have to differentiate between the medical cases and the county lines cases, where people are trying to profit on the black market of illegal substances, and at the moment the law doesn’t allow for a difference between the two to be drawn," Sampson said.
“This case is a huge step. This case, perhaps, earmarks a wind of change. This case, perhaps, means that finally, the law will catch up with the enormity of what cannabis can do to save lives.”
While relieved to have avoided a jail sentence, Baines remarked that it’s still frustrating that cannabis is not fully legal.
Testimonials Were Touching And Crucial For His Defense
A growing body of research confirms that cannabis can help with different types of cancers, as well as cancer-associated pain. People who sent letters in Baines' defense confirmed that firsthand.
Belinda Williams, one of the many cancer sufferers who benefited from Baines' medical cannabis oil, was sent home with a terminal diagnosis of incurable liver cancer. It was her husband, Russ, who reached out to Baines.
“I made contact with Andy and our lives have not been the same since,” Russ said. “Andy did not hesitate and set about helping us. We offered to pay him, but he refused point-blank. We are now 13 months on, and I am pleased to report that all six of my wife’s tumours have gone, and just this week we were given the all-clear. Our NHS oncologist is in shock.”
Another testimony comes from the mother of seven-year-old Oscar who has autism and a severe form of epilepsy causing him to suffer hundreds of seizures a day.
“If it wasn’t for Andy our son would be in a wheelchair. It’s thanks to Andy that he is walking,” his mother Emma said. “We also have the backing of Oscar’s neurologist. Oscar’s school and family members are blown away by his progress.”
Recent Cannabis Legalization Developments In The UK
The landmark Baines' ruling could open the door to larger cannabis reform in the UK. It comes on the heels of London's Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to set up a commission with the task of decriminalizing cannabis in the UK.
Even though Khan’s plans to decriminalize cannabis were unwelcomed by Labour Party leaders as well as policing and crime minister Kit Malthouse, Khan's ruling seems to be carrying a lot of weight, doesn't it?
Photo: Courtesy of Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
