A New South Wales retiree was convicted in Dubbo Local Court last week, after using cannabis to manage his chronic pain.
Local Dubbo man, William Francis Wilson, pleaded guilty to one count of supplying a prohibited drug and one count of possessing a prohibited drug last Wednesday. The 61-year-old disability pensioner was arrested at his unit after a neighbour reported drugs were being supplied from the property.
Police seized $860 in cash and a total of 37.4 grams of cannabis during their visit. According to the average weed prices at the moment, that’s worth less than $750.
When police arrived, the pensioner showed them cannabis wrapped in tinfoil in a red container, explaining “I just did them up this morning.” Wilson also admitted to selling “tenners and 50s” of cannabis to fund his personal pain relief.
When asked about his own personal supplier, the pot-pensioner refused to explain where he sourced his cannabis, nor how much he paid for it.
Wilson’s defence team later told the court that he had used cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain for over 17 years. The retiree suffers from severe scoliosis that dislocates his spine and cannot stand for long periods of time.
Wilson was previously convicted on similar cannabis charges back in 2018.
While Magistrate Gary Wilson was sympathetic to the retiree’s case, he warned that the punishment for selling cannabis would only get worse, saying:
There’s so many drugs in this community, we don’t need people out there actively making it worse by way of selling.
The magistrate also told the retiree to seek medical cannabis treatment, which he likely can’t afford. As the disability pensioner was selling cannabis to fund his pain relief, he is unlikely to be able to pay the average cost of $382 a month for medical cannabis.
The retiree was convicted on both offences and received a 12-month community corrections order.
