Police in Denmark have arrested a man and woman on suspicion of providing cannabis to cancer patients and people with other serious illnesses.

The couple, who were detained on Tuesday, could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison.

Claus ‘Moffe’ Nielsen had previously admitted selling cannabis and spoken to Danish media about it. He said he knew he might be arrested one day, but did not care.

Mr Nielsen pleaded guilty to the charge, but his wife, who was arrested with him, denied any involvement in dealing drugs, the couple's lawyer Erbil Kaya told Danish tabloid BT.

Mr Neilsen became convinced of the medical benefits of cannabis when he began taking edible cannabis to treat his osteoarthritis. The drug worked so well for him that he wanted to offer other people the opportunity to try it.

“It should be laboratory technicians, chemists and doctors who do it [sell cannabis for medicinal use] under controlled conditions," he told BT. "I’m no trained expert, but I have some principles and I stand by them."

He said he had clients all over Denmark who suffered from conditions including cancer, sclerosis and fibromyalgia.

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Mr Nielsen and his wife have both been charged under Denmark’s narcotics laws, and face a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison. The couple complained about the fact their trial was not made public, and Mr Nielsen said he wanted people to know what happens in the case.

“The public is aware of this case so there is nothing secret about it and he has spoken out about his business," Mr Kaya said. "There is also a documentary being made about him, so there is nothing to hide as far as he is concerned."

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Mr Kaya said that his client sells cannabis to help sick people and to put pressure on the state to change its outlook on medicinal cannabis.

“Claus hasn’t hidden... what he does and he knew it was illegal. That’s why he has admitted his guilt," the lawyer continued. "But he hasn’t done it to make money and be a criminal mastermind. He has done it in broad daylight and been open and honest about it."

Legalising cannabis for medicinal use has been debated intensely in Denmark in recent months. One region of Denmark agreed to a provisional plan in August to begin prescribing cannabis for medicinal use. Danish media also reported in the summer that the health minister Sophie Løhde is considering a four-year-long national trial of legalising medical cannabis.

Where cannabis is and isn't legal Show all 10 1 /10 Where cannabis is and isn't legal Where cannabis is and isn't legal UK Having been reclassified in 2009 from a Class C to a Class B drug, cannabis is now the most used illegal drug within the United Kingdom. The UK is also, however, the only country where Sativex – a prescribed drug that helps to combat muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis and contains some ingredients that are also found in cannabis - is licensed as a treatment Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal North Korea Although many people believe the consumption of cannabis in North Korea to be legal, the official law regarding the drug has never been made entirely clear whilst under Kim Jong Un’s regime. However, it is said that the North Korean leader himself has openly said that he does not consider cannabis to be a drug and his regime doesn’t take any issue with the consumption or sale of the drug MARCEL VAN HOORN/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal Netherlands In the Netherlands smoking cannabis is legal, given that it is smoked within the designated ‘smoking areas’ and you don’t possess more than 5 grams for personal use. It is also legal to sell the substance, but only in specified coffee shops Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal USA Although in some states of America cannabis has now been legalised, prior to the legalisation, police in the U.S. could make a marijuana-related arrest every 42 seconds, according to US News and World Report. The country also used to spend around $3.6 billion a year enforcing marijuana law, the American Civil Liberties Union notes AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Where cannabis is and isn't legal Spain Despite cannabis being officially illegal in Spain, the European hotspot has recently started to be branded, ‘the new Amsterdam’. This is because across Spain there are over 700 ‘Cannabis Clubs’ – these are considered legal venues to consume cannabis in because the consumption of the drug is in private, and not in public. These figures have risen dramatically in the last three years – in 2010 there were just 40 Cannabis Clubs in the whole of Spain. Recent figures also show that in Catalonia alone there are 165,000 registered members of cannabis clubs – this amounts to over 5 million euros (£4 million) in revenue each month Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Uruguay In December 2013, the House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill legalizing and regulating the production and sale of the drug. But the president has since postponed the legalization of cannabis until to 2015 and when it is made legal, it will be the authorities who will grow the cannabis that can be sold legally. Buyers must be 18 or older, residents of Uruguay, and must register with the authorities Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Pakistan Despite the fact that laws prohibiting the sale and misuse of cannabis exist and is considered a habit only entertained by lower-income groups, it is very rarely enforced. The occasional use of cannabis in community gatherings is broadly tolerated as a centuries old custom. The open use of cannabis by Sufis and Hindus as a means to induce euphoria has never been challenged by the state. Further, large tracts of cannabis grow unchecked in the wild Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Portugal In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize the use of all drugs, and started treating drug users as sick people, instead of criminals. However, you can still be arrested or assigned mandatory rehab if you are caught several times in possession of drugs Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Puerto Rico Although the use of cannabis is currently illegal, it is said that Puerto Rico are in the process of decriminalising it RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal China Cannabis is grown in the wild and has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria. But, officially the substance is illegal to consume, possess and sell Getty

A poll found in June that 88 per cent of Danes support legalising cannabis for medicinal use. A slim majority are also in favour of legalising cannabis for recreational use, according to other polls.