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Yes he was certainly being somewhat naive and at the very worst a tad duplicitous but an appeal by the Crown and jailtime seems to have taken an unnecessary amount of money out of the public purse.
Extended community service might have been a better solution.
But in this crime and punishment world we live in the phrase instead is ‘Unduly lenient’ and off we send him to HM’s pleasure and i say that specifically because anyone with a memory longer than a newt will remember this story recently.
King Charles Using Medical Marijuana, Avoiding Chemotherapy in Ongoing Cancer Fight, Says Report
The BBC
A drug dealer who claimed cannabis oil could help cure cancer has been jailed for four years after his initial sentence was deemed too lenient.
Joel Cunningham, from Leeds, was convicted in May of seven offences, including possession with intent to supply magic mushrooms and conspiring to supply THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
The 40-year-old was handed a suspended 18-month prison sentence the following month, meaning he avoided immediate jail time.
However, that sentence was quashed by a Court of Appeal ruling on Tuesday after the Solicitor General Ellie Reeves – appointed in Labour’s ministerial reshuffle 10 days ago – referred the case on the grounds the sentence was too short.
The three judges who heard the appeal imposed a four-year prison term and said Cunningham, who attended the hearing, must surrender to a Leeds police station by 16:00 BST on Wednesday.
The solicitor general said Cunningham claimed cannabis oil “could cure and assist with ailments including cancer in adults and seizures in children”.
While there was “no evidence of harm having been caused” by the products supplied, and “some users of the product attributed their recovery to the products provided”, the Solicitor General said Cunningham “did not seek to obtain any licence or other authorisation to allow him to sell such products”.
When police raided Cunningham’s house in October 2021, they found multiple cannabis-based products, £7,748 in cash, luxury watches, a CS spray canister and about 1.5 kilograms of magic mushrooms worth up to £18,500, it was said.
‘Unduly lenient’
Jurors convicted him in May of possessing criminal property, two counts of conspiracy to supply THC, possession with intent to supply magic mushrooms, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing criminal property and offering to sell or supply an unauthorised medicinal product.
The charges spanned a three-year period from November 2018.
Asking for the sentence to be increased, the solicitor general said the magic mushrooms conviction should have been treated as the “lead offence” when Cunningham was sentenced.
She said: “It is not accepted that any intention to supply Class A drugs for medicinal rather than recreational purposes would serve to decrease the sentence significantly.”
It was said that Cunningham’s representative at the Court of Appeal, George Penny, told judges the sentence was one that could be considered “reasonably appropriate”.
However, the judges found that while there was no evidence that Cunningham had supplied magic mushrooms previously “the jury were clearly satisfied that he was planning to do so in the future”, and that the sentence was “unduly lenient”.
There’s a change.org petition in play
It says
Despite the positive impact he has had on the community and the tangible evidence of his life’s work being beneficial, Joel now stands at a crossroads. He faces sentencing for his noble efforts, his intentions misconstrued by the legal system. This situation is not just a legal matter but a social and ethical dilemma. The case against Joel not only endangers his freedom but also jeopardizes the well-being of all those who depend on his oil for a better quality of life.
The laws surrounding cannabis use in the UK are evolving, and it is crucial to recognize and differentiate between harmful drug dealers and individuals like Joel, whose mission is to heal rather than harm. The compassionate use of cannabis oil in serious medical conditions is supported by various studies and success stories around the globe.
Joel Cunningham deserves recognition and support, not penalization. By walking free, he can continue to save the lives of Leeds residents, contributing positively to society and offering a beacon of hope to those in need. Join us in urging the judicial system to consider the broader implications of penalizing a healer rather than supporting him. Please sign this petition to call for Joel Cunningham’s freedom so that he can continue his invaluable service to those in need.
In June they were celebrating and of course the govenment couldn’t have that in a world where cannabis companies are eother owned by Tory Grandees or companies designed urely for profit and capital markets engineering. The hypocrisy is, as usual, astounding but entirely unsurprising
Source – Facebook
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Sean Hocking
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