A British man dodges jail as the medical cannabis patients he has been helping come to his legal defense

Imagine that one day you are sitting at your home enjoying a lazy afternoon when there is a knock on the door. You get up, walk to the answer only to find a cop outside. You look a little further and find out there’s a whole crew of them.

Immediately your heart sinks because you have about 30 cannabis plants and about 1 kilo of weed with you in the back. You know you’re screwed because it’s illegal where you are.

Now imagine all of this happening, you get arrested and possibly in prison for years – only for the government to drop the charges and let you go because thousands of people have come and spoken out in your favour.

That’s exactly what happened to Andrew Baines, a 46-year-old father of two. Leafie – a UK cannabis publication Reported;

Cannabis patient Andrew Baines was caught by police with almost a kilo of cannabis and 30 cannabis plants in his home in January 2020. He was charged with both supplying and manufacturing a Class B drug under the Misuse Of Drugs Act 1971, which could have seen him serve a maximum of 30 years of life imprisonment. Andrew had used his qualifications in cannabis science to illegally provide patients with drugs to treat cancer and other life-changing diseases, maintain detailed medical records, and treat thousands of people in need without taking money for his services.

In a landmark ruling, the Crown Prosecution Service took into account broad support and decided against jail time despite an open admission of guilt and a wealth of evidence. Instead, Andrew received a 6-month community injunction, the lowest possible sentence. In her decision in Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, Deputy District Judge Geraldine Kelly said: “If the law were different, Mr Baines would have been applauded and not penalized. I believe a community order is warranted in this case, not because of you, but because of the message we need to send.” – Leafie

In this case, even the judge sided with the Baines.

Now it’s important to note that Baines grew cannabis and administered it to the sick and dying. He didn’t sell cannabis for profit. Even the official “CanCard” founder spoke out for what happened.

Carly Barton, founder of Cancard, who supported the case, said: “I applaud the CPS and the CPJ in this case, who made the fair decision not to incarcerate Andrew for providing access to life-changing medicines to those in need. Andrew has improved the lives of thousands of people sent home to die. The alternative for these people was to access these drugs through the criminal market, which funnels money into county lines and causes harm. Experts like Andrew are few and far between. They are currently filling the gap that our healthcare system does not offer. Now we need to look for better access systems so that those who need it can have access to cannabis and so our experts, like Andrew, are able to use their specialties legally. Currently, our most knowledgeable scientists are working underground, and that doesn’t make sense.” — Leafi

Cancard is the UK’s official medical marijuana scheme and has approximately 50,000 members.

Andrew Baines did something most “dealers” don’t do… keep records. These detailed records and the public outcry not to sentence the man to 30 years in prison ultimately earned him 6 months of community service and made the whole UK cannabis debacle a public event.

The tide has shifted…only the dinosaurs remain

The fact is that people have realized that cannabis is a powerful medicine and in many cases is a last resort for some patients. If the government-approved drugs poorly alleviate the side effects or symptoms of a particular disease, it should be legal to pursue any other medium, even if it’s technically illegal.

However, while these dinosaurs are “catching up” with the rest of the public, in the case of Baines, we can record a victory for cannabis activism everywhere. Not only does it show that when enough people come together to voice their opposition to jailing someone who risked their freedom to help others, the government has little choice but to support the mob.

We should all take that to heart.

1. When growing for medical patients, keep strict records of their progress

2. When your medical marijuana supplier gets arrested by authorities – RALLY!

It is time for us to come together and collectively express our opposition to these draconian laws. It’s about time no more activists were jailed for a plant less harmful than alcohol.

Let’s all raise a joint for Baines… the man who escaped jail for being an A-class “good guy”!

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