Mum-of-three Julie Harper has recently appeared before magistrates charged with possessing cannabis. But she has vowed to continue smoking the drug because it provides pain relief for her chronic rheumatoid arthritis. Here she tells Kate Wadsworth why she believes in the legalisation of cannabis, but believes heroin is society's worse evil.

For chronic rheumatoid arthritis sufferer Julie Harper nothing beats the pain like the drug cannabis.

After smoking just one cigarette ' joint', she's pain-free, no longer a quivering wreck forced to endure hours of suffering.

The Keighley single mother-of-three says she occasionally resorted to illegal drug taking to ease her condition because conventional prescribed pain killers no longer had any effect.

However Julie, 39, believes her use of cannabis for purely medical reasons is completely different from hard drugs such as heroin, and it should be legalised.

Recently she appeared before Bingley magistrates after police raided her home in North Dean Road, Braithwaite, and discovered a quantity of cannabis.

She was given a conditional discharge, but afterwards said she would keep on using the drug to ease her medical condition even though she risks another appearance in court and a stiffer sentence. She's never been in trouble with the police before, but says it's a price she's prepared to pay.

"The rheumatoid arthritis really gets me down," said Julie, who has suffered from the incurable condition for 17 years.

"Over the years I've learned to cope with mild pain, which has become a way of life, but when the condition flares up it really hits you. It's unbearable. I start rocking with pain up to the point where I'm drifting into unconsciousness.

"I smoke the cannabis and it makes a difference instantly. The pain is caused when my muscles go into spasm, but the cannabis relaxes my muscles and eases the pain. I can feel my muscles loosening up.

"I lock myself in my room when I'm smoking the cannabis. I would never do it in front of the children."

Julie would like to take part in medical trials over the use of cannabis, but as far as heroin, a growing scourge of cities like Bradford, is concerned, she is vehemently opposed to the class one drug.

"Cannabis and heroin are completely different and a distinction should be drawn between them," she says.

"Heroin destroys lives, and is an enormous problem on the Braithwaite estate. I think the problem is that heroin is so freely available around here and it's so cheap.

Julie claims that unlike heroin, cannabis is not highly addictive, and she only uses it sparingly.

"Smoking cannabis is the only form of relief I get. When you find something that gives you relief, you don't stop taking it.

"Muscle relaxants make me feel like a zombie; aspirin causes bleeding in my stomach and I had to stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs eight years ago because they give me ulcers.

"If I didn't take the cannabis I would have to call the doctor out more often at night. My condition is crippling and once or twice a week I take cannabis when I'm desperate."

Meanwhile Julie says doctors expect her condition to deteriorate further and she feels she doesn't have much to look forward to.

"As it is I can't lift my arms above my head, or lift shopping or do things like peel potatoes. My hands will claw up and my joints will get stiffer."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.