Father caught with £10,000 of cannabis spared jail after cancer patients defend his ‘life-saving treatment’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mr Baines, who holds what is known as a “Cancard” – a medical cannabis card recognised by police – was also supplying patients with cannabis-based medicine. Giving her ruling at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, deputy district judge Geraldine Kelly said: “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.” Mr Baines’s solicitor, Hannah Sampson, said: “I have never seen a six-month community order imposed. 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. 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.” The court ruling comes just a day after the National Drugs Summit, which saw the government renew its vow to crack down on middle-class drug use while policing and crime minister Kit Malthouse doubled down on his opposition to Sadiq Khan’s review into a potential loosening of the laws around cannabis use.