A British grandmother who baked cannabis-laced cookies as a treat for friends and neighbours in her rural village was spared jail on Friday after a judge said he did not want to make her ”a martyr”.
Patricia Tabram (66) prided herself on her cannabis snacks as well as casseroles and soups containing the banned drug, Newcastle Crown Court, in north-east England, had been told.
The grandmother cooked up the treats for neighbours and friends in her village, East Lea, after being introduced to the drug last year, which she said helped ease depression as well as neck and back pain.
Local police were tipped off about the smells coming from Tabram’s remote bungalow and twice raided her house, in May and June last year.
During one visit, they seized 31 cannabis plants growing in her attic, as well as another one from a hallway table, which officers had missed until Tabram pointed it out.
Tabram — who also bought pre-prepared cannabis for friends who pooled their money — admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply the drug.
Judge David Hodson imposed a jail sentence of six months, but suspended it for two years, meaning Tabram will not be imprisoned unless she commits further offences during that time.
Hodson said he did not want to create more publicity for the grandmother, who has stated her intention to publish a book, Grandma Eats Cannabis.
”People in this part of the world cannot fail to have noticed that you have been caught up in a media circus,” the judge said.
”It might be that you have been trying to tempt the courts into making a martyr of you. I am not going to do this.
”I consider that this offence merits imprisonment, which I fix at six months. However, I am persuaded that there are exceptional circumstances which justifies a suspension of the sentence for a period of two years.” — Sapa-AFP