'Cannabis is absolutely wonderful': Pam St. Clement reveals she uses drug EVERY DAY to help soothe her arthritis... as she calls for legalisation after making pot documentary

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Known for her iconic stint on EastEnders, Pat St Clement went down a dramatically different path when she took part in investigative documentary series about Cannabis.

Now the actress, 75, confessed she uses the substance every day to help soothe her arthritis following her adventures on Gone to Pot: American Road Trip.

Insisting the cannabis-infused oil is 'wonderful' in an interview with The Sunday Mirror, the soap star explained how the television show has changed her life.

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'Cannabis is absolutely wonderful': Pam St Clement revealed she uses the drug EVERY DAY to help soothe her arthritis as she calls for legalisation after making pot documentary 

For a decade, the EastEnders favourite suffered from Polymyalgia rheumatica which causes stiffness in joints.

The Albert Square legend is in less pain after she discovered oil infused with cannibidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound of marijuana, on the show.

Pat told the publication of the product: 'Gone To Pot changed my life because when I went to America to find out about how cannabis has been legalised in certain states, I also discovered CBD. And I have to say that it’s absolutely wonderful.

'Since I have got back from America I have been taking CBD oil consistently and my limbs feel less stiff and less sore.'

Revealed: The Albert Square legend is in less pain after she discovered oil infused with cannibidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound of marijuana, on the show

On Gone to Pot: American Road Trip, Pat joined TV favourites Linda Robson, John Fashanu, Christopher Biggins and Bobby George on an unlikely and often unpredictable mission to uncover the lows and inevitable highs associated with the drug.

As a premise it’s certainly unique; take five popular celebrities, put them in a psychedelically painted camper van and set them off on a wild, weed fuelled trek across California and Colorado, where marijuana was successfully decriminalised in 2012, in order to access the impact legalisation has had on the wider community. 

But after spending the first episode smoking pot with nuns, puffing bongs in San Francisco and sampling the arguable delights of pot-laced puddings, events take an unexpected turn when the group find themselves in the midst of an armed drug bust. 

Not scared: Pam revealed she was surrounded by a heavily armed SWAT team as they carried out a series of potentially life-threatening interceptions during her latest show, Gone To Pot, which explores the legalisation of marijuana

However Pam admitted being surrounded by a heavily armed SWAT team as they carried out a series of potentially life-threatening interceptions was preferable to her old routine on the BBC show and its hectic four episode a week schedule.

She told MailOnline: 'I didn’t find it scary, I had total, complete and utter trust in the sheriff. I loved him. It was just very exciting – it was like Cagney and Lacey. It really was like that. It was incredible.'

The group were stunned after being given an open invitation to the raid, during which nine suspected marijuana harvesters were arrested. 

Iconic: Pam is best known for her former role as surly Albert Square stalwart Pat Butcher in EastEnders, and revealed the danger of filming the documentary was preferable to her old routine on the BBC show and its hectic four episode a week schedule

'What I didn’t expect to see was SWAT team in full fatigues, with the armoured vehicle and everything,' Pam recalled. 'We hand to stand off no more than 100 yards – you could see people running, across the fields and over the hills. 

'They had to send the dogs out because I think they ended up catching nine people, and they lost a couple who did off.' 

She added: 'The areas they chose were probably not a few hundred yards from a freeway, a two-lane road frequently used, and it was just across the hill from a legal marijuana growing area so if anyone thought they could smell marijuana, no one would think twice.'

Shocking: 'What I didn’t expect to see was SWAT team in full fatigues, with the armoured vehicle and everything,' Pam recalled. 'We hand to stand off no more than 100 yards – you could see people running, across the fields and over the hills'

While the trip proved to be an illuminating experience for Pam, who has since thrown her weight behind the decriminalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes in the United Kingdom, the trip was less favourable for her male co-stars. 

Notable victim Biggins, 68, became violently ill after one particularly indulgent session that resulted in the panto regular suffering hallucinations and relentless nausea before being guided to bed by his four celebrity companions.

'I feel men are slightly less cautious than women, but myself and Linda were game,' she said. 'Neither of us smoke and we both smoked it. It didn’t have any nicotine with it, and we both tried eating it, but very very small amounts. 

'But the boys just weren’t cautious enough. They had a whitey to match all whities. They were truly, truly ill – they had a bad time of it, and if I remember correctly Bobby actually had a drip.' 

Thrillseeker: Pam told MailOnline: 'I didn’t find it scary, I had total, complete and utter trust in the sheriff. I loved him. It was just very exciting – it was like Cagney and Lacey'

Touring America, even under such unlikely circumstances, also served as a refreshing change following a 25-year stint on EastEnders, where she became a household name as Pat. 

The role brought with it inevitable routine and, as the popular soap increased its output - moving from two to four half hour episodes a week - an increasing workload that Pam admits she still doesn't miss, some six years after her departure. 

'I have to be honest, hand on heart I don’t miss the routine,' she said. 'I feel so much freer to do other things that I want to do, to do work that I want to do. 

Change of heart: Since filming the documentary Pam has thrown her weight behind the decriminalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes in the United Kingdom

'It’s a very tying routine. Even if it’s not every day of the week, it’s tying. I like the freedom that I have now, as much as I miss the stimulus of working that hard and producing something that quickly, and so rapidly. 

'Had she not died I think Pat had enough juice in her tank to actually come back but I wouldn’t have wanted to come back at that rate. 

'The thing about characters like Pat, Peggy, Dot, Kathy, they’re all part of that history, they’re part of the fabric, and it’s a pity when that fabric is lost. But things move on and the modern world is different to the one when we were in the show - that great feeling of community.' 

While the trip proved to be an illuminating experience for Pam, the trip was less favourable for her male co-stars (L-R) John Fashanu, Pam, Christopher Biggins, Bobby George, Linda Robson

That modern world has also brought with it criticism of the show in some quarters, with a faction of fans blasting its lowering production values, overlooked gaffes and shaky storylines.

But Pam remains defensive of the show, despite acknowledging that it momentarily lost its way.   

'I think they went through a bad patch but most of these ongoing dramas go through a difficult time,' she added. 'But to turn out a couple of hours of screen time a week – what a task that is. So it’s very unfair to criticize. 

'The only problem is when you go off course slightly it takes a long time to get back. But the producers have it in hand and I’m sure they’ll get it back on course.'

Famed: Touring America, even under such unlikely circumstances, also served as a refreshing change following a 25-year stint on EastEnders, where she became a household name as Pat