Judge: man with 4kg of cannabis had 'good year'

A West Coast man whose house was awash with nearly 4kg of cannabis had simply had "a good year" rather than being a drug dealer, a judge has ruled.

Timothy Owen Harris, from Dunollie, appeared in Greymouth District Court yesterday charged with cultivation and cultivation for supply after police found 3942g of cannabis in various forms drying around his house in a raid in May.

Offenders caught with 28g or more of cannabis can be charged with possession for supply.

Harris said he planted 15 seedlings each year in the Notown forest, but usually only two or three survived. Last season, he was able to harvest seven or eight plants.

Sergeant Nigel Orpwood, of Greymouth police, said a storeroom had been converted into a growing room, with a hole cut into the roof to expel hot air.

In the kitchen, a black plastic rubbish bag was full of stalks and waste leaves, and bits and pieces of cannabis plant were scattered over the floor. On top of the fridge, a thermos lid contained four cannabis roaches and a set of hand-held scales, and on the dining table was a set of silver digital scales and a roll of plastic bags. There were crumbs and scraps of cannabis scattered over and around the table, and on the floor.

The lounge had bits and pieces of cannabis spread throughout, and further cannabis stalks were found in a bucket by the fireplace. A set of drawers contained a large shopping bag of 410g of processed cannabis head, with smaller bags found in other drawers.

Covering the entire floor were remnants of cannabis leaf and stalk, and there were rubbish bags full of stalks and plastic buckets full of stripped leaf. There was also a dehumidifier and fan in the room to aid the drying process, as well as other fans, ventilation tubing, electrical cables and timers.

In a second bedroom, there were scraps of cannabis leaf scattered over the floor, including on the floor of the wardrobe, where a plastic rubbish bag containing 800g of cannabis leaf was found in one corner.

However, Judge Jane Farish said she was confident he was not a drug dealer and discharged him on the more serious charge.

"There was no prevarication, hiding, fencing or caging. I'm satisfied Mr Harris had a particularly good year."

She sentenced him to 250 hours' community work but warned that another cannabis cultivation charge would probably earn jail.

- NZPA