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Plainsman1963

Drugs campaigner sent illegal plant to minister
7-26-06 | Daily Post

A NORTH Wales drugs campaigner sent a cannabis plant to cabinet minister John Reid a jury was told yesterday.

Jeffrey Ditchfield posted the plants to the Whitehall office of Mr Reid, the-then defence minister, as a stunt over the drug's medical use.

The 47-year-old of Water Street, Rhyl, is part of Bud Buddies, which provides cannabis to people suffering from arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer or other serious conditions.

Karl Scholtz told the Mold Crown Court jurythe attempt to give Mr Reid, now home secretary, a cannabis plant "was more of a stunt, you may think, rather than any belief John Reid would take it home and start to grow it."

The jury heard Ditchfield was alleged to have supplied cannabis to two people as pain relief.

He was also charged with cultivating cannabis found at the home of an arthritis sufferer at Rhyl and at a hidden room in his own home.

Additionally he was charged with possessing cannabis, found in his fridge and freezer, with intent to supply.

He denied all charges. But Mr Scholtz told the jury Ditchfield did not have a de-fence to six of the eight charges.

"There is no doubt that the defendant did the acts and that he is guilty of the first six charges, Indeed he admits as much," he explained.

Mr Scholtz said the jury might wonder why they were listening to atrial, but while Ditchfield, he said, admitted the ingredients of the offences before them, no one could force a person to plead guilty, and no judge could tell a jury to find a man guilty.

But if Ditchfield asked the jury to acquit him, that would mean that they would not be true to the oaths they had taken to try the case on the evidence before them, Mr Scholtz claimed.

Along list of admissions agreed between the prosecution and the defence were read to the jury in which it was admitted Ditchfield supplied cannabis as apain relief to MS sufferer Laurence Brierley, a patient at the Chadderton Total Care nursing home, Manchester.

He would use it to relieve the spasms and alleviate the pain, smoking six cannabis cigarettes a day.

Between Januaryand June 2004, Ditchfield visited him everyweek and supplied him with rolled cigarettes containing cannabis.

He supplied between half and three quarters of an ounce a week but neither sought or received payment.

Arthritis patient David Newton of Aber Road, Rhyl, also used cannabis to relieve the pain.

Between June 2003 and January2004 Ditchfield supplied him with a cannabis-based cream and capsules.

After a fire in March 2004, the police found a hydroponics growing system at Mr Newton's home.

It was admitted Ditchfield supplied the equipment and plants, and he or someone else from the Bud Buddies organ-isation would collect it when mature.

It was agreed Ditchfield posted apackage at Rhyl Post Office to Mr Brierley in the nursing home.

It had 86 cigarettes in it, containing cannabis.

But the jury heard staff called the police when they became suspicious because of the smell.

Last November, aMoD registry clerk opened a package addressed to Mr Reid and it contained a cannabis plant.

The jury heard it was accepted Ditchfield cultivated cannabis at a room at his premises in Water Street where a book shelf hid the door giving access to the room.

The police seized equipment and plants and also found further cannabis leaf in afridge and freezer.

Mr Scholtz said it was not known if the plants were frozen to extend their "shelf life" or whether it was part of a process to make particular forms of cannabis named "snow hash" or "pollen".

The trial continues.

 

king cola

They could have just said "joints"

They are getting him for cultivation and possession, why are they making such a big deal out of it? He didn't sell it, he gave it to people that were sick! The people that are sick make the choice to recieve the marijuana and smoke it, no one is putting a gun to their head forcing them to take it. The guy wasn't giving the pot to kids.

After he sent the plant to the cabinet minister what did he do when he saw what it was, go into a panic because he touched a pot plant and checked himself into the ER!

They waste time in court on people who grow or smoke pot for medical reasons and put real criminals trials on hold