A MUM has spoken out about the damage cannabis has done to her family in a 20-year battle with the drug.

Mary, not her real name, says it has made her son mentally ill and torn the family apart.

Her comments come after Keith Thompson, of Wootton Bassett, insisted he would carry on smoking cannabis in spite of being raided by police.

Mary, whose son is now in his 40s, said: "It's not just me, it's destroyed our whole family.

"He had everything going for him but since he started smoking that stuff he has lost his confidence and his friends.

"He doesn't want to go out and he doesn't work."

She says it has put a strain on her and her husband's relationship with their son.

"He's not well. There's the paranoia and his temper. He has kicked the front door in a few times in a fury fuelled by drugs."

Mary, who lives in the middle of Swindon, insists the family has done all it can to help their son kick his habit.

They family has taken him to drug support groups in Swindon and further afield.

But each time he has made up an excuse to stop going.

"I have taken him everywhere to try to help," Mary said.

"It has broken my heart. I still love him with all my heart but it's so frustrating.

"I wish I could see an end to it. Some days he is so pleased and says I'm going to stop it' and then I'm all happy and we think the day has come but the next day we are back where we were and he's smoking again.

"But I love him and you can't just turn love off like a tap.

"For any other mum and dad going through this I sympathise from the bottom of my heart."

After Mr Thomp-son insisted that he had smoked cannabis for more than 30 years without any ill effects Mary wanted to tell the other side of the story.

"I want to get across that it does do harm," she said.

"It's not just the person who smokes it who is the victim, it's all the family.

"I have seen the psychosis and the paranoia in him.

"It's irresponsible to say it doesn't do any harm.

" If it wasn't dangerous you be able to buy it in a shop like a packet of cigarettes but it's not, it's an illegal drug.

"I think it's just very sad.

"If I had one wish in all this world I would give everything I have to make my son better."