Workplace bullying led to drug use

A HELIDON man claimed his marijuana use stemmed from the anxiety and depression he had suffered as a result of workplace bullying, a Toowoomba court has heard.

Legal Aid Queensland solicitor Chelsea Saldumbides told Toowoomba Magistrates Court her client, Nikolas David Eres had a good work history until working for a firm in Toowoomba where he had been bullied over a number of years.

The 34-year-old had slumped into depression and gave up work and instructed that he had “lost everything”, she said.

However, he instructed that he found that marijuana had motivated him to get back into work and he was now employed by a landscaping business and working across the country, Ms Saldumbides submitted.

Police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the court police responding to the report of a disturbance had gone to a Wrights Rd residence in Helidon on November 8.

Noticing a light on in a shed on the property, police looked in through a window and saw five potted plants with marijuana plants about 10cm to 12cm in height growing in each plant, he said.

Three days later police returned to the property but the plants had been discarded from the pots which were empty.

However, Eres admitted to police he had grown the plants from seed and had watered them over a number of weeks, Mr Brewster-Webb said.

A police search of the property also found a bag with 7.1g of marijuana, two home-made glass pipes for smoking the drug, four brass pipes and an electric grinder and scissors used for cutting up the drug.

Eres pleaded guilty to producing and possessing a dangerous drug and to possessing drug related utensils.

Ms Saldumbides said her client had since stopped using the drug.

Noting Eres had no previous drug offences in his history, Magistrate Kay Ryan ordered the convictions not be recorded and fined him $1200 which was referred to SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Registry) for payment.