John Ciantor says he must have absorbed meth off the air
A man found driving with drugs in his system told police he must have tested positive due to Adelaide’s air quality.
A Mount Compass man told police that meth could be found in anyone’s system if they were to walk through Adelaide, after pleading guilty to driving high on the drug.
John Cantor faced the Christies Beach Magistrates Court in April after he was charged with driving a vehicle with meth in his system and contravening a condition of a probationary licence.
The court heard on January 6, 2023 at O’Sullivan Beach Ciantor submitted to a roadside drug and alcohol test.
While his alcohol reading returned negative, the drug test returned positive, indicating methamphetamine was in the pensioner’s system.
The police prosecutor told the court the man denied he had consumed any meth.
“He told police he doesn’t use meth, he doesn’t smoke it and was unsure if he was around people who smoke meth,” the prosecutor said.
“He stated anyone could be around meth users anytime you walk into town, he continued to state that he did not know and that he had just had Hungry Jacks.”
Ciantor last faced court in 2020, where he was convicted for exceeding speed.
Magistrate Natalie Browne imposed a $900 fine and a six-month licence disqualification.
Convictions were recorded.
In 2023 Adelaide was ranked as the methylamphetamine capital of Australia, according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program.
Meth is also the drug of choice in regional South Australia, which has the second-highest consumption of cannabis in the country.
Across the state a total of 776 kilograms of meth was consumed in 2022.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) report, which is researched with data collected by the Universities of Queensland and South Australia, showed overall in South Australia there was eight per cent drop in total drug use, including cocaine, from 2021.
Around the country meth remains the most consumed drug in Australia by a big margin.
