Farm's cannabis harvest aimed at 'self-sufficiency'
AN ORGANIC farmer grew his own cannabis plants because he wanted to be self-sufficient and not buy the drugs from dealers.
The plants with a potential street value of around £30,000 were found at the Lynton home of Dominic Cornish, Exeter Crown Court was told.
-
Cornish, 34, was given 30 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months at Exeter Crown Court on Tuesday.
Cornish was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay £200 costs, after pleading guilty to producing the class B drug cannabis.
The court heard he was a supporter of self-sufficiency and organic farming and decided to grow his own drugs rather than buying them from street dealers.
Prosecutor Barry White said police with a search warrant raided Cornish's house in May last year.
They found a plastic growing-tunnel in his garden containing 11 cannabis plants, then went into his house where they could smell the drug.
Officers then discovered 62 plants and growing equipment in the loft.
In total, the plants weighed 6.33 kilos with a potential yield worth £29,000.
There were also various cannabis plant leaves and materials in a bin bag, jar and tray which took the potential street value up to more than £30,000.
Mr White said Cornish had pleaded guilty on the basis that the drugs were for his own personal use.
Although the plants had a potentially large financial value, the court heard the defendant would probably not have been able to successfully harvest the entire amount.
The prosecutor said: "Judge Graham Cottle observed, at the last hearing, that in terms of production it was not 'window-boxing' but it was not commercial and it was mostly likely somewhere in between."
Cornish already has a criminal record for growing drugs, involving 500 plants, in 2003. He also has convictions for importing the drug into Dover.
Defence counsel Richard Parry said: "The plants had rather withered at the bottom. It was unlikely he would have realised more than half of what he wanted."
He added the defendant was also using cannabis leaves for compost, feeding pigs and in his milk and tea.
"Mr Cornish has a long history of cannabis use," he said. "He has not had dealing with any other drugs. He has been smoking cannabis for 15 years and he's something of an enthusiast for cannabis."
Mr Parry added his client believed in self-sufficiency and organic farming and had not wanted to buy cannabis from street dealers.
Judge Michael Longman said Cornish was avoiding prison because of his family responsibilities, which had been explained to the court.
He added the defendant's cannabis growing system was not sophisticated, he had not diverted any electricity and it had not been for commercial sale.
But the judge warned him: "Any use of cannabis will be a criminal offence and you will be in breach of this sentence."
He ordered forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.
13 Comments
View all
by DanDeLion, Bideford
Thursday, March 11 2010, 7:53PM
“Fairplay too you dom! Gotta fight for your rights :D”
by Dominic Cornish, Lynton
Saturday, March 06 2010, 12:04PM
“Great comments, glad to spark up a debate. Judge for yourselves, I am a self sufficient farmer producing everything I need organically and have a happy existance, without harming or bothering anyone. Unfortunately 'own life' is a crime in our Orwellian society. Every man has a God given right to grow any plant on earth, no man has a right to say it is morally or criminally wrong. Any intellegant person would ask themselves why the most productive plant on the planet is illeagle! Don't let them take our human rights for the sake of money. The biggest cannabis suppliers are the government , who grow and sell 2 tonnes a year for medicinal use! Peace. Ps. my yield was actually 356g with 2 weeks left of growing. Prosecutions 'estimated' yield was 6kg for the amount of plants grown! Decide for yourselves.”
by clive webster, ilfracombe
Wednesday, March 03 2010, 8:59PM
“mr webster ......you break my heart !!!”
by Abbey, Australia
Tuesday, March 02 2010, 9:53AM
“No Victim No Crime? We are all victims of wasters!”
by markie b, under the stars somewhere
Tuesday, March 02 2010, 5:50AM
“cannabis does have great potential for many things from milk to plastics to building materials about 1500 different things it can be used for not just smoking/drinking.
see if it was me then id of used it as oil which takes alot more to be able to produce a sufficient quantity of the oil to a grade is want!for someone to dismiss it out right is crazy!even government officials have said that cbd has anti phsycotic properties which is also something our bodies produce naturally,the thc is the one which causes the issues but well use a balenced herb with similar amounts in both thc and cbd and your going to be better of medicinally and mentally ;)
speak to some cancer patients that use it and tell me has no effects or multiple sclorosis patients or me patients!crawl out of that small minded world its a larger and better place to live!dont believe everything your told either by the gov i mean please next thing you will try saying is the gov arnt in iraq trying to dictate their ways of life to them i mean come on seriously a democracy whilst were bombing them??????genocide in its purest form!!!!”
by Richard, Australia
Monday, March 01 2010, 11:45PM
“Deal with it Druggies!.......No pun intended.”
by Jayok, Ilfracombe
Monday, March 01 2010, 11:26AM
“There's no way that growing that much was only for personal use - come on unless he's a total binner that sort of quantity would last decades! I personally think that growing your own is OK, if thats what you're into, but on this scale I don't think he could defend as for personal use only.”
by Taxman, North Devon UK
Saturday, February 27 2010, 10:26AM
“A potential yield of £29,000.00 CANNOT be declared as being for personal use only.
In the UK Cannabis is an illegal substance, and therefore Cornish, knowingly, broke the law and suffered the consequences.
Additionally, current scientific research, using a placebo, clearly indicated that Cannabis has no known beneficial effects, but is often an "introduction" to more serious substances.”
by Brainy, Adelaide
Saturday, February 27 2010, 1:04AM
“Nik, Karmacollector.....move to Spain!!!”
by Webster, Devon, UK
Friday, February 26 2010, 11:43PM
“Your "society": When you send me the message my life is of no value, then how can your property, how can your society,how can your civilisation, how can any of your morals, rules or any other monuments, how can any of that be of any value to me, when all it has on the door for me, is a rejection notice!
I'm not allowed to look, I'm not allowed to touch, I'm not allowed to partake, I'm not allowed to participate. nothing is open to me, everytime I knock on the door and get rejected It takes a little something out of me, so how does it mean anything to me that I should try to salvage it, or I should respect it, or I should try to preserve it, it's stands as a barrier before me, and with that, I will always continue to fight it and live my life how I want, whether acceptable to your "society" or NOT.”