The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 32-year-old man who was found with several marijuana plants claimed they accidentally sprouted when he threw the seeds out after smoking.

Police arrested Craig Cash after they found nine Indian hemp plants around his residence on July 3.

He pleaded guilty to cultivation of dangerous drugs when he appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney. He must pay $800 to avoid spending two months behind bars.

The court was told that officers went to Cash’s Golden Gates residence. Upon their arrival, they showed the accused their warrant and began their investigation. During their search, officers found seven marijuana plants in a flowerpot. The court was told a further search led to the discovery of two additional marijuana plants.

When officers questioned Cash, he told them when he smoked the marijuana and threw the seeds out, they would germinate due to the rainy season. He claimed the plants would “catch and grow fast”. He was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. During his interview there, he maintained his original explanation. The prosecution said the plants ranged in height from three inches to one foot.

During the hearing, Cash’s attorney told the magistrate he accepted responsibility for his actions because he did not want to waste the court’s time. He also said Cash was a father of two and was the sole breadwinner of his family.

In response, Magistrate McKinney said the cultivation of drugs was not a misdemeanour but rather one of the more serious offences under the law. As a result, he fined Cash $800 or two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.