Conditional discharge given to man charged with possessing nine pence worth of cannabis

A man was brought before North Devon magistrates for being in possession of nine pence worth of cannabis. Christopher Saunders, 38, of Nadder Meadow in South Molton, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and was given a conditional discharge.

A misuse of drugs act warrant was carried out at Saunders’ property and various items seized including scales. They were tested and came back showing Saunders had 0.09 grams of cannabis, which Lyndsey Baker, for the prosecution said was worth around nine pence.



Tim Hook for the defence, said: “If I close one’s eyes and try to imagine nine hundredths of a gram it is a very difficult thing to fasten your mind on. I think it is a quantity that is barely capable of measurement.” Mr Hook said the cannabis was initially valued at £9, but after recalculation was found to only be worth nine pence.

He said: “It would be extremely difficult to imagine a smaller quantity of cannabis that has ever come before the court, and therefore not only does it come in the lowest conceivable category in sentencing terms, but in my respectful submission wouldn’t really warrant the imposition of a financial penalty. I am staggeringly surprised it couldn’t have been dealt with by way of a caution at the police station, when so many things are.” Magistrates gave Saunders a conditional discharge for six months and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £15.