An Angus man who turned to cannabis following a devastating car accident has been jailed for 16 months, after being caught with thousands of pounds worth of the drug.
Gordon McIntosh claimed the class B substance helped reduce the risk of the potentially fatal disorder sleep apnoea and eased the pain he constantly suffers in the wake of the 1992 crash, which caused major injuries and left him in a medically-induced coma for months.
But when drugs squad officers raided the 50-year-old’s Nursery Street home in Forfar at the beginning of this year they found a haul of herbal cannabis and cannabis resin worth almost £6,000 and £1,110 in cash.
McIntosh said he had been asked to keep the drug for someone else but admitted he had made several hundred pounds by selling cannabis to two acquaintances.
He appeared for sentence before Sheriff Gregor Murray at Forfar yesterday, having earlier admitted an indictment alleging possession and supply of the class B drug on January 9.
The court previously received details of the scale of the recovery, which included boxes and tubs of herbalcannabis or cannabis resin in the kitchen, living room and bedroom of his home. The bedroom recovery also included 19 bars of resin, each weighing 95 grammes.
Defence solicitor Bob Bruce said McIntosh was a long-term cannabis user following the major car crash, which left him with multiple injuries.
“Since then he has had extensive problems and pain management has been at the forefront of treatment,” Mr Bruce said.
“He has sleep apnoea, a potentially fatal condition, and the cannabis he buys helps him get into a deeper sleep and he has fewer apnoea attacks.
“He was asked to store the drugs but accepts that in order to give him more money, he sold it to a couple of known individuals.
“The car crash completely changed his life and he has a sanguine approach to the outcome of these court proceedings.”
Sheriff Murray noted previous drugs-related convictions and said McIntosh had taken a “calculated decision” in the offence.
“I can understand why you believe it alleviates your pain and the difficulties you suffer from, but it does not in any way excuse your actions in this case.”