If Robert Westwood grew cannabis plants for in his house for his own use, why on earth was he taken to court at public expense and given a community order ("Cannabis user produced drug for own use", The Sentinel, June 11th)
Police searched the van and recovered eight bags of cannabis weighing a total of 17 grams with a street value of £100. Westwood said the drugs were for his own use.
But isn't it strange that a value of £100 was put on those 8 bags, by somebody, even though they were apparently not for sale - and why?
And why do we the taxpayer get charged so much every year to cover the twenty billion pounds spent fighting drugs when there is just as much on the street, maybe more than ever - yet a man growing a few plants for himself gets arrested and taken to court which costs hundreds of pounds?
There is something seriously wrong with the Government's policy of prohibition that more and more people recognise as an absolute failure and disaster - it mostly punishes the very people the law ought to protect from crime, exposes them to crime, costs us all a fortune and criminalises tens of millions of people in the UK that are not doing any harm to anyone else.
Those that do harm - steal or rob to raise money to buy drugs - of course they should be punished.
But the others like Mr Westwood, should be left alone
Alun Buffry
Norwich
in response to
Cannabis user produced drug for own use
The Sentinel, Stoke, June 11 2011
CANNABIS user Robert Westwood has been handed a community order after he grew the drug in his house.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday heard police stopped a Mercedes van in Corporation Street, Stoke, which was being driven by the defendant, at 11.20pm on November 7.
Police searched the van and recovered eight bags of cannabis weighing a total of 17 grams with a street value of £100. Westwood said the drugs were for his own use.
Police then searched the defendant's home in Jubilee Avenue, Etruria. Inside officers found 12 plants and hydroponic equipment and lighting.
There was more cannabis in a "drying tent". A fingerprint from a pole in the growing room matched Westwood's.
He told police he bought the eight bags of cannabis found in his van. He accepted he grew the plants at his home and said it was all for his own use.
The 43-year-old defendant, of Quarry Road, Hartshill, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and possession of cannabis resin.
Nick Tatlow, mitigating, said Westwood was a very heavy user of cannabis when he committed the offences.
He said the estimated yield of the plants was quite high because Westwood has abilities as a grower.
Mr Tatlow added that Westwood had greatly cut down his cannabis use.
Judge Michael Dudley sentenced Westwood to a 12-month community order with 160 hours' unpaid work.
He told the defendant: "You are being sentenced on the basis all the cannabis was for your own use and there was no suggestion of supply to anyone. That's what saved you from a custodial sentence."
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Cannabis-user-produced-drug-use/story-12754172-detail/story.html
£100 for 17 grams?! I bloody wish! Get your facts right, Sentinel, the profiteering criminal b**t**ds on the street these days would be charging £170 for that.
ReplyDeleteSome people think themselves lucky if they purchase a gram and less than half of the weight is made up of sand, silicone or glass. Peoples' health is being put at risk, not because of the effects of a plant, but in the name of money (as usual).
Something seriously needs to be done to ensure the safety of us smokers, both in terms of the health risk of contaminated flora, and the risk of being forced to deal with selfish criminals! We are law-abiding citizens too, and we have the RIGHT to DEMAND protection from our country!!