NARRANDERA woman Donna Maree Spencer used cannabis to relieve a medical condition, but she fell into the trap of giving some of the illegal drug to a man sourcing it for sale to an undercover police officer.
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Spencer, 54, was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond in Wagga Local Court after pleading guilty to supplying a prohibited drug and fined $200 after pleading guilty to possessing a prohibited drug.
Police facts tendered to the court indicated Spencer was swept up in an anti-drugs operation code-named Strike Force Taco formed late last year to tackle mid-level illegal drug supply in Narrandera.
Spencer’s solicitor, Selwyn Hausman, told magistrate Erin Kennedy that his client had used cannabis to relieve pain caused by a medical condition and to get to sleep.
“If medical marijuana was approved that would get rid of her difficulty,” Mr Hausman said.
He said Spencer experienced difficulties with regular pain killers.
The police facts said a man known to Spencer met with an undercover police officer on November 5 and the man agreed to supply cannabis.
He went to Spencer’s house and obtained three grams of cannabis leaf from Spencer which he sold to the operative.
The court heard that Spencer received no money for handing over the cannabis.
Police searched Spencer’s house on December 23 and found 25g of cannabis in the house.
Mr Hausman put to Ms Kennedy that Spencer had been pressured by a person – not police – to supply the three grams of cannabis.
Spencer told police in an interview on December 30 she had given the man cannabis “to help him out on this occasion”.
Ms Kennedy castigated Spencer for “helping”.
“You should sit here with me for a day and watch people on drugs,” Ms Kennedy said.
“Their lives have been destroyed.
“To provide someone with drugs does not help them, it does not help the community.”
Ms Kennedy said she did not think any parent would clap their hands and say thank you very much to a person who supplied drugs to their child.
“If you felt any pressure to supply drugs you should have gone to the police,” Ms Kennedy said.
Ms Kennedy said drug supply did not sit well with Spencer’s otherwise good reputation as a contributor to the community.
Polls have consistently shown more than two-thirds of Australians back the use of medical cannabis and last year Health Minister Sussan Ley announced the government was looking into allowing cannabis to be grown for medicinal and scientific purposes.