Cannabis user had £36k set-up to feed his habit

JON MACPHERSON

AHEAVY cannabis user grew a £36,000 set-up in his loft to feed his habit, a court heard.

Morgan Greenwood was caught after neighbours reported an ‘extremely strong smell of cannabis’ coming from the property on Cutler Crescent in Stacksteads.

Officers attended and found a ‘reasonably sophisticated’ set-up in the loft including 37 can- nabis plants and dried out cannabis from a previous yield.

Greenwood, 46, pleaded guilty at Burnley Magistrates Court to producing cannabis on the basis that it was for his own personal use.

His case was adjourned to Burnley Crown Court for sentence on May 14.

Prosecutor Andrew Robinson said police attended Greenwood’s home on April 16 last year and found the cannabis set-up which included transformers and lights.

The court heard how there were 24 cannabis plants and 13 cannabis plant seedlings along with some dried out cannabis.

Mr Robinson told the court: “There was evidence of three different crops being grown and evidence of some previously grown and harvested there.”

A forensic examination of the plants found that they could have produced a street value yield of £36,480. Mr Robinson said the amount was ‘far in excess of personal use’.

When interviewed by police Greenwood said: “It’s mine. I set it up. It’s for my own use.”

John Rusius, defending, said Greenwood was ‘very surprised’ by the amount of cannabis that could have been produced and said that ‘wasn’t the intention’. He told the court that the defendant has previous drugs convictions on his record but he had kept out of trouble for the last four years.

Mr Rusius told the court: “He has had difficulties with drugs in the past. He has been involved with class A drugs but that is no longer the case after weaning himself off with the assistance of methadone and cannabis.

“He moved out of the area [he was previously living in] and wanted a new start. He didn’t want to be involved with drug dealers and be in their presence.

“He wanted to keep himself to himself and not be involved in class A drugs any more.

“It is expensive to buy cannabis and he grew it for himself and a friend. He was very surprised by the amount that the plants could have yielded. It was very unexpected and that wasn’t the intention.”