A west Wales man who has been acquitted of smoking cannabis for medical reasons has said he hoped the decision would herald dramatic changes in the law.

Brad Stephens, who suffers from the spinal condition cervical spondylosis, was overjoyed at the ruling by Carmarthen magistrates.

Hopefully the message to CPS and police is that these cases should not be prosecuted

Mike Reed, solicitor

Although juries have acquitted people on this basis, it is thought to be the first time a person had successfully argued before magistrates it is acceptable to use the drug for medicinal purposes rather than for pleasure.

Mr Stephens, from Carmarthen, has been using cannabis for more than five years.

The 45-year-old has been prescribed morphine, but argued conventional medicines were not strong enough.

Mr Stephens hoped the case would be a legal landmark.

"I've been convicted of possessing cannabis many times in the past," he said.

"The law needs to be looked at very closely and must accept that, if people have a genuine illness with medical evidence to prove it, they should not be inside a court of law.

"Cannabis gives me a better quality of life and gives me more control over my limbs," he said.

Genuine need

Mr Stephens added that cannabis gets rid of "underlying ache and numbness" which causes him discomfort.

"I feel as if I have a 96-year-old inside of me and cannabis takes that old man away for a certain amount of time," he said.

Mr Stephens' solicitor Mike Reed was delighted with the verdict, and said it was a case of genuine necessity.

"Hopefully the message to CPS and police is that these cases should not be prosecuted.

"It is a nonsense doctors cannot prescribe cannabis - until they can, this is an excellent decision which will avoid a great deal of pain and anxiety," he said.

The Home Office would not confirm that the case makes legal history and said people can still be arrested for having cannabis.

Even so, the government is considering new rules for police to follow in such cases.