From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2015-03-08 09:20:38
Attachments : This story is about a lady who lives in my nearest city. The comments are really worth reading too. www.derbytelegraph.c… A GRANDMOTHER who has terminal cancer is breaking the law by taking cannabis to keep her alive. Karen Roberts has now stopped taking all her usual medication and has instead turned to cannabis oil. And since taking it, she says her tumours have started to shrink. The 55-year-old, of Stenson Fields, has aggressive lymph cancer and insists she does not care that what she is doing is illegal. She lost husband Garry to leukaemia in January. Karen said: “I’m taking this to save my life and it’s obviously working. “I don’t care if it’s legal or not, I have no other choice but to try whatever I can. “Other people have been cured from taking it and that’s why I’ve tried it. I hate taking it though, it’s vile and makes me heave. “But since taking it my tumours have shrunk – it’s amazing. “This is a huge opportunity for me. I’ve got nothing else to save my life. Why not give it a go?” A cancer expert said cannabis-based drugs had showed “some promise” in tests. Karen said she ordered the substance online and they have arrived in brown bottles, with no instructions on how much to take or when. She swallows them and vows to carry on ordering more. Despite this, she said she feels no side-effects from it. Karen was hoping a stem cell transplant from her sister would save her life but a tumour on her bowel had grown. Doctors have told Karen she is doing much better than expected, though it has been a difficult time for her. Karen said: “I’ve had an absolutely horrendous few months. It’s been utter hell. “Life has not been the same without Garry. He was my rock and my everything. I’m sticking my finger up to everything and I just want to feel and get better. “I just want to go for it and hope for the best. I don’t want to die, it’s that simple. “I want to live for as long as I can. I hope and believe this will work. “If anybody had any miracle cures or tablets to take to solve this, then I would. “People who read this might think and question why I’m doing it, but they need to live a day in my shoes and see what it’s like. There is nothing in this world that I would not try to keep going.” She said the bottles are 15ml and she is not concerned about any legal implications of buying or taking it. Karen, who is on sick leave from as job as a charity fund-raiser at Asda Sinfin, said: “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve not been arrested yet.” Dr Emma Smith, senior science communications officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “The only way to get scientific evidence that a treatment is effective is through clinical trials. “The limited results we have so far on using cannabinoid-based drugs as a cancer-fighting therapy show some promise – but we’re far from knowing for certain if these drugs benefit cancer patients, what types of cancer they may be effective against, or at what dose. “More research is needed, which is why we’re helping to support the only two trials of cannabinoid-based drugs taking place in the UK.” A spokesman for the Department for Health said: “There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health and this Government has no plans to legalise cannabis for medicinal use. “However, we recognise that there are people with chronic pain and debilitating illnesses who may not find relief from existing medication. This is why there is a clear regime in place to enable medicines (including controlled drugs) to be developed and prescribed in the UK.” 12 comments Newest Oldest Best Rated AndrewJohnson
