PEOPLE who use cannabis to relieve chronic pain should not be convicted for possession, three appeal judges were told.

Five cases are being brought at the Court of Appeal in what is being seen as a test of the legal attitude to the drug in the light of Home Secretary David Blunkett's move to downgrade it to class C. Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing two of the appellants, told the court: "The primary concern of the cases is should it be a crime to resort to personal use of cannabis for the alleviation of serious and chronic pain?"

He said the men he was representing, Barry Quayle and Reay Wales, were both afflicted by serious and chronic conditions. Mr Quayle has had both legs amputated below the knee and suffers pain from damaged tissue and phantom limb sensation.

Mr Wales has serious bone and pancreas conditions.

Both men found that prescription drugs were ineffective and caused serious side effects with the risk of addiction.