A man has pleaded guilty to “producing a controlled drug” after police were tipped off about cultivation in his home. However, he claims that he only grows cannabis for medicinal purposes to save money, as traditional medicines have proved ineffective at treating a number of medical conditions.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Bradley Holgate showed police three mature cannabis plants and admitted growing cannabis for personal use after they received a tip about a cannabis farm at the property in Clitheroe.
Following the plea, Blackburn magistrates fined Holgate £220 with £85 costs and £34 victim surcharge.
Naimi Hussain, defending, claimed that Mr Holgate had been suffering from health problems and the pills the doctors prescribed just didn’t work.
Ms Hussain said: “He has been prescribed numerous tablets, but nothing was working, and he decided to try cannabis. It was simply for medicinal purposes.”
A few months ago, we reported that a man from Sunderland was pleaded guilty to “possession of cannabis” as he claimed he consumed cannabis to manage his diagnosed Tourette’s syndrome and ADHD.
David Fowler, 20, of Silkstun Court, Silksworth, Sunderland smoked cannabis as he thought the drug had a positive impact on his health condition.
Then, his solicitor, Greg Flaxen, said: “It’s a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity – I would have thought a cannabis warning could have been offered at the police station.
“He does smoke cannabis on a daily basis. He has Tourette’s, he has the ticks, he has outbursts. One positive of cannabis is the calming effect that it has. He says that it helps with his ADHD.
“He says that he doesn’t smoke it to get high. You can consider a discharge, either absolute or conditional. He’s made full admissions and has explained that he smokes it every day.
“I would be wrong to say that he is not going to continue with it. If it’s a choice between health or breaking the law, health seems to take precedence.”
It seems as though up until the point when medical cannabis is made more widely accessible for everyone, we’re going to read more stories similar to that of Mr Holgate and Mr Fowler.
