Tottenham father-of-24 calls for legalisation of cannabis

Lloyd Thomas, 57, sold tinctures containing the herb from his Makabights stall in Harmer Indoor Market. Picture: Central

by Court Reporter Saturday, September 1, 2012
7:00 AM

A Tottenham father of 24 called for cannabis to be legalised as an alternative to “chemical medicines” after he was caught selling cannabis remedies on a market stall.

Lloyd Thomas, a Rastafarian “herbal doctor”, sold tinctures containing the herb in exchange for “gifts and donations” for 12 years until police raided his Makabights stall in Harmer Indoor Market, Hackney, on September 9 last year.

The 57-year-old, of Lansdowne Road, was caught with almost 100 grams of raw cannabis, as well as an ounce of the drug for personal use and two pre-rolled joints.

Thomas pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and intent to supply at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He was given a community order with 40 hours’ unpaid work and banned from supplying any remedy containing cannabis for five years. But despite his plea, Thomas, also a grandfather to 18, does not agree with the law.

Speaking after the verdict, he argued that the government should find a way to legalise the herb “on a medicinal level and then for personal use, after they have found out more about the effects of it” as it “hydrates the mind and dispels nervousness and fatigue”.

He added: ‘‘It is a crime in this country but they didn’t find me guilty, I pleaded guilty because when you do the crime, you have to do the time. But I still protest on a medical level, you need to have some leverage, as well as for people at home and personal use, but not commercial use.

“If the government legalised cannabis it could be more in control of all the money the pushers are getting and put it in the community for educational programmes.”