A judge accepted that Trevor Armstrong's cannabis supply was "of a very limited nature"
Teesside Crown Court
A cannabis farmer said drug crops at his home with a potential value of up to £26,000 were mostly for personal use.
Trevor Armstrong, 27, said he was a heavy user who grew weed to save himself money. He said he might only have given some of the Class B drug to his brother to smoke.
He kept his freedom as a judge accepted that his supply was “of a very limited nature”.
Police searched his home on Broadhaven Close, Grangetown, on April 22 last year.
Officers found 46 cannabis plants growing under lamps in a bedroom, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.
Armstrong had equipped the operation with transformers, an air extractor, carbon filter, propagator, growing tent, fans and nutrients.
An expert estimated the crop would have a potential yield of 1.38kg worth £12,172, said prosecutor Rachel Masters.
There was evidence of a previous crop - 55 root bulbs in an outhouse and rotting cannabis leaves in a wheelie bin.
That had an estimated value of £14,555, based on Armstrong’s admission of trying to cultivate about 50 plants.
Electronic scales and a list of names and values were also found in the property.
Armstrong said he was a regular cannabis user and smoked as much as he could afford.
He said he bought seeds, had the equipment and scales given to him by others and grew the drug for his own use only.
Armstrong, now of Tennyson Avenue, Grange-town, admitted production of cannabis, his first drug-related conviction.
Rachel Dyson, defending, said: “Mr Armstrong was a heavy, heavy user of cannabis.
“He would say he set up this operation in order to save himself some money, to prevent him from having to buy this drug from other people.
“The first set-up didn’t produce much at all. It wasn’t a very good grow. He used some of those to start off a second set.
“He was very much growing it for himself.
“There may have been some passing on to his brother but that’s the extent of it.”
Judge George Moorhouse told Armstrong: “You’ve seen what drugs do to people. It’s obviously affected you to a large extent because you’re a heavy user. It’s a very serious charge.
“I accept that your supply to others was of a very limited nature.”
Armstrong received a six-month prison term suspended for a year with supervision and 200 hours’ unpaid work.
The judge added: “You’ve got a bad record for failing to comply with court orders. That had better stop.”
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