A man who says he uses marijuana for medicinal purposes was sentenced Friday to 18 months on probation.
Gerald Anthony Drouillard, 39, was caught in January 2012 growing his own pot. He let police into his Meadowbrook Lane apartment as they responded to a call involving another home where a child was in distress. In his bedroom, they found six cannabis plants growing under lights.
“It wasn’t a very sophisticated grow,” Ed Posliff, federal drug prosecutor, told the court Friday.
Drouillard pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana.
“He was growing for personal use to deal with the pain associated with Hep C and his other health problems,” said defence lawyer, Laura Joy. Joy said, in addition to hepatitis, Drouillard has a bad back from working as a painter and drywall installer and was using marijuana to ease his pain.
Court heard Drouillard had a prescription for cannabis-based pills, but preferred smoking the plant. While people with medical conditions can get government authorization to grow marijuana or possess dried pot, Drouillard had no such licence.
Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas said the crime usually calls for a harsher penalty than the suspended sentence and probation he handed Drouillard. “I accept the explanation that there are pain issues,” Thomas said. But, he added, “There are ways of doing it.”
As a term of his probation, Drouillard is not to possess marijuana or any other controlled drug or substance without a prescription.
Drouillard has a criminal record, but no prior drug offences. His last conviction was in 2005 for mischief. Prior offences included theft, mischief and assault.
