A Victorian man who suffers from chronic pain has avoided jail after he was caught growing 63+ kilograms worth of cannabis plants in his garden.
The man, who was injured in 1998 in a car crash, started growing the cannabis after his doctor transitioned him off of his regular fentanyl medication onto endone. According to his defence barrister, the switch caused a “profound decline in his psychological health culminating in a manic episode.” The man also has bipolar disorder.
The 55-year-old’s cannabis gardening hobby came to an end after police discovered his plants on February 18th, 2021. Police located the 63.62 kilograms of cannabis plants in his Laanecoorie garden, as well as 115.9 grams of dried cannabis inside his house. The dried cannabis is likely worth roughly $1,700.
The man told police that he was trying to cultivate enough cannabis to give him a five-year supply. At the time he was caught, he had ten mature plants, which he grew from seeds.
The 55-year-old faced Victoria County Court earlier this month. He pleaded guilty to one charge of cultivating a narcotic plant. Judge Claire Quinn ultimately accepted his plea and noted that he wasn’t engaged in trafficking or selling cannabis to others. Instead, he self-medicated.
Your offending is at the lower end of the range of what can be a very serious offence.
She sentenced him to a 12-month community corrections order.
