Man who grew cannabis to minimise contacts and save lives during the global pandemic now forced to pay a €1000 “donation” or face criminal conviction for cannabis cultivation.

A 30 year old male cannabis user who I will not name here turned to growing his own Cannabis to minimise contacts during a global pandemic but was caught by gardaí who raided his home.

The defendant in the case was caught with two cannabis plants in his bedroom when gardaí raided his home in Clondalkin, Dublin on July 31st 2020.The defendants solicitor told the Blanchardstown District Court “it was a small operation that he undertook to avoid having to deal with people to get the drug during the pandemic”.

Consumers of alcohol had their supply made “essential” during the pandemic but consumers of Cannabis had to fend for themselves. Those who chose to grow their own Cannabis did the right thing

Blanchardstown District Court heard two plants worth a combined €1,600 and various drug paraphernalia including a weighing scales were found in the defendants studio apartment when gardaí searched it on July 31, 2020.

Garda Sergeant Walter Sweeney told Judge David McHugh the accused made admissions when he was detained. The defendant told Gardaí the cannabis was for his own personal use but he would give it to his friends now and again for free.

Defence Simon Fleming said the defendant had been smoking the drug, had it for himself and in relation to the paraphernalia, all drug users would use weighing scales to see how much they had.

He said the offence was committed during Covid lockdown and that the defendant “thought he had reinvented the wheel in that he didn't have to deal with people, he could do it himself,".

It was a very small operation in the accused's bedroom and Mr Fleming asked the judge to leave the defendant off without convictions as he wanted to travel for work.

Through out the pandemic we were told to stay home minimise contacts where possible and not to be taking any unnecessary journeys. This man pretty much did that and should of been commended for doing so. By staying home and growing his own cannabis plants he could of saved many lives according to the health professionals at the time. In my books this guy is a hero but unfortunately the judge did not see this as I do.

Now knowing the man worked as a welder and wanted to travel for work, the judge decided to fatten the courts charity box some more. He did this by taken advantage of this mans desperate situation & making this man donate €1000 to charity in order to avoid a criminal conviction which he would carry for LIFE. This criminal conviction would reduce a persons ability to travel to places like the US and Australia and get jobs with certain companies that might have policies against hiring people with criminal convictions.

Does this man deserve to have his name and face plastered in the media because he grew his own cannabis? I have blurred it here out of respect for the defendant

The judge adjourned the case and said he would strike the charges out if the accused made a donation to the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Fund.

The judge also said he also wanted drug testing results.

This is just another example of the harms caused to our society by Cannabis prohibition. This man hurt no-one, he was doing the right thing by growing his own cannabis and minimising contacts. The Gardaí in this case actually caused more risk to the individual than the cannabis. As when they carried out their “drug” raid on this mans home anyone of them could of been carrying the virus we were all isolating from.

This is not an isolated case either, I heard another story during the pandemic of Gardaí bring a woman in a blood stained paddy wagon to the bridewell Garda station in Cork city. This was after they raided her home for 1 Cannabis plant.

They held her until 3am when they then left her make her own way home alone and distraught in the city . The raid happened late in the evening (around 10pm) and she wasn’t even dressed appropriately to be walking the streets alone that late at night. Thank god she made it home safely. I hope to have her on the podcast to share this story herself in the not too distant future.