Probation for growing

Sophisticated cannabis grow-house was for own personal usage

A BAKER and cannabis oil maker has been sentenced to probation after police found a grow-house at the rear of his property in a December raid.

Joel Lloyd Penfound, 37, told police searching his Merritts Creek property he had been a cannabis user since he was 13 years old, and the plants growing in the shed were for personal use.

The Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard police found inside a tent a sophisticated grow house with fans, lamps, a dehumidifier and temperature sensors, along with 13 plants and six seedlings.

Two garbage bags with 1kg and 805g of cannabis leaf inside were seized, as well as two jars with 41.8g and 50.6g of chopped cannabis.

The cannabis inside the bags were rubbish Penfound had not thrown out, the court heard.

Senior Constable Leea Trewin said Penfound told police two capsules found during the search were cannabis oil which the court later heard he made himself to help him sleep.

Solicitor Victoria Ward, for Penfound, said her client was a baker by trade and soaked cannabis in alcohol and consumed the oil in either capsule form or on paper.

Ms Ward told the court her client had co-operated with police during the raid, and admitted he had been a cannabis user since he was 13 years old.

Now 37 and since the raid, he had sought help through Alcohol and Other Drugs in Toowoomba and passed two drug tests.

Acting Magistrate Roger Stark told Penfound the charges before the court were “quite serious” and, despite being a long-term user of cannabis, had never been charged with similar offences.

Penfound pleaded guilty to one count each of possess utensils, producing dangerous drugs schedule 2, and producing dangerous drugs.

He was sentenced to 15 months probation with conditions he pass drug tests, with no convictions recorded.