34-year-old David Mitchell has been handed a 12-month driving ban after being caught drug driving – with admissions in court that he had been smoking cannabis as a method of pain relief for up to 17 years.
The Isle of Wight Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that Mitchell, of Main Road in Porchfield, had been stopped by Police on St George’s Way, Newport on 25th September last year. Officers required a roadside drugs wipe to be conducted, which returned a positive result. Mitchell made admissions of guilt at the roadside.
Defending, James Osborne said his client had been smoking cannabis as a method of pain relief following a serious accident involving a crane when he was 17-years-old. The switch from hydrocodone to the Class B drug came when doctors stopped prescribing hydrocodone over concerns of addiction.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug (cannabis) above the specific limit – namely 7 (the prescribed limit being 2).
Magistrates handed the boatyard worker a 12-month ban and fined him £740, as well as ordering him to pay £85 costs and a £74 surcharge.
Disgusting. Denied effective pain management via system no longer fit for purpose. Self management the only other option via a drug less damaging than morphine which, of course, is licenced to make money for the pharmaceutical companies. Take that away leaving pain and sleepless nights. When depression then sets in the doctor will give him a pill. And they wonder why people are being talked off of cliffs.
Isn’t cannabis now legal medicine?
Only if the THC has been removed. Smoking green, weed, puff, spliff etc, no this is still illegal and if caught driving while testing positive can be prosecuted. Good thing too.
Cannabis oil is ok, no THC in it.
Maybe cannabis does help with his pain. Just don’t get behind the wheel of a car and drive. Simple!!!!
Same thing could be said for those popping the co-codamols as pain relief these are opiates , but of course as long as its over the counter should be fine to drive.!
Nothing wrong with a nice Doobie to kill the PAIN