Pubdate: Mon, 14 May 2001 Source: Herald, The (UK) Copyright: 2001 The Herald Contact: http://www.theherald.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/189 Cited: Legalise Cannabis Alliance http://www.lca-uk.org GRANDMOTHER TO STAND ON LEGALISE-CANNABIS TICKET Leslie Von Goetz - Thinks Cannabis Is 'Just Fantastic' A 75-year-old grandmother is to stand as a prospective candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance Party, campaigning to make marijuana and other drugs legal. Speaking yesterday from her home in Fife, Leslie Von Goetz, a retired teacher, said the drug should be made available, and treated in the same way as alcohol, so that people with medical conditions could treat themselves. Scotland's unlikeliest pro-drugs campaigner, who lives in her family's Chesterhill estate outside Newport, said cannabis had been widely used for its medicinal qualities for more than 5000 years. Next month's general election will be her first political candidature but the reformed smoker, who is now bed-ridden because of a back injury, feels strongly that "cannabis is a bloody good thing - it's just fantastic." A young member of her family has taken cannabis for medicinal purposes for several years, and Mrs Von Goetz objects to the young woman being criminalised by current legislation. She said that her niece has been using marijuana to alleviate side-effects from prescription drugs: "She was getting the shakes from her medication, and found that when she smoked cannabis she could take less medication and feel a lot better. It should be legalised. At the moment, doctors and scientists can't even do proper medical experiments without breaking the law - it's crazy." Surrounded by campaign documents which clutter her bed, the classics graduate said: "Responsible people who wish to avoid mixing with dodgy drug dealers, are forced to grow it themselves." "Then the police find out about it, raid their houses, steal their crops, and it's all very distressful - not to say, expensive. "As far as I'm concerned, people who want to smoke socially can do what they want as long as they don't get sloshed out of their mind - like they tend to do with alcohol." The Legalise Cannabis Alliance was registered as an official UK political party and adopted the cannabis leaf as its symbol in March 1999. Mrs Von Goetz, who will stand in the Liberal Democrat stronghold of North-east Fife, is one of two Scottish candidates selected so far in what will be the party's first general election. The other candidate is Linda Hendry, who is standing in Edinburgh South. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth