I wasn’t going into lockdown without weed, Gympie court told
A 26-year-old man who stockpiled more than 180g of pot has faced court
Gympie
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A 26-year-old man who claimed a drug diversion program told him to keep smoking weed faced Gympie Magistrate Court yesterday, pleading guilty to possession.
On March 6 police searched a property where Steven Michael Clements was living and found more than 180g of cannabis and several drug utensils.
Clements declared utensils, which included a used water pipe, a cone piece, a pair of scissors, a small bowl containing 1.16g of cannabis, a used coffee grinder and a Tally-Ho bag containing 0.76g of cannabis and a brick of cannabis weighing 183g.
The court heard Mr Clements admitted to owning the cannabis for personal use, and had smoked some before police got there.
Clements bought the cannabis in brick quantities as it was cheaper and lasted longer, it heard.
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Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Clements had appeared in court only two weeks previously and had been placed on drug diversion.
“I didn’t even get to go to drug diversion before yous came over again. I had it that afternoon,” Clements said.
“So you thought you’d get stoned before you go to drug diversion?” Mr Callaghan asked him.
“You sent me somewhere that told me to keep doing drugs,” he replied.
He then claimed a drug diversion program officer told him to keep smoking weed because of his family history.
Mr Callaghan didn’t respond to this claim but told the man he was on a good behaviour bond to not commit any offences at the time of the search and said 183g was a fair amount.
“I thought the country was going into lockdown,” Clements said.
“I wasn’t going into lockdown without weed.”
When Mr Callaghan asked Clements if he had a job, he said was in the process of starting a landscaping business.
Mr Callaghan fined the man $300 reconnaissance for breaking the good behaviour bond and another $300 for the new offences.
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