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Australia: 70yo “riddled with arthritis” dodges jail for cannabis lab

Kate Aubusson

Rheumatology Update

Friday 18 Oct 2013

An elderly man with severe arthritis has received a suspended jail sentence for growing a large amount of cannabis at his home in South Australia.

William Derek Phillips was a late adopter of the drug - he had his first taste when he was 69 years-old.

But it didn’t take long for the Happy Valley resident to rig up a sophisticated hydroponic laboratory in his garden shed.

Phillips said he was "riddled with arthritis" and began using cannabis to deal with his chronic pain and if there was any left he would sell it to friends at the pub.

Judge Wayne Chivell described the case as “rather unusual” after Phillips pleaded guilty to cultivating a commercial quantity of a controlled drug in South Australian District Court.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of $200,000 and 25 years in jail.

Mr Phillips also admitted to possessing prescribed equipment and trafficking in a commercial supply of a controlled drug.

In July last year, police found him tending an irrigation system in the purpose-built growing room inside the shed, where mature cannabis plants were growing under lights.

They also found three plastic bags containing 26 kilos of wet cannabis heads, which weighed 4.6 kilos when dried, and 23 immature plants as well as a large amount of mature plants growing under the irrigation system in the shed.

"The trouble with growing this much cannabis is that it is usually associated with organised crime, and that's why the penalties are so high," Judge Chivell said.

But he accepted that selling the drug was not the main aim of the venture and noted Phillips - who had no criminal record - said he no longer used cannabis and would not reoffend.

He imposed a two year three month jail term which he suspended, placing Phillips on a three-year good behaviour bond.

http://www.rheumatologyupdate.com.au/latest-news/70yo-riddled-with-arthritis-dodges-jail-for-cannab

 

 

 

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