BY DAVID FORSYTHE
A MAN who admitted growing 16 cannabis plants at his rural Cork home told a recent sitting of Macroom District Court that he had cultivated the plants to prevent his son from getting into debt with drug dealers.
Court presenter Sgt Trish O’Sullivan said that gardaí obtained a warrant and searched the property of Edward Lee (51), of Oughtherry, Rylane, on July 7th 2023.
During the search they discovered 16 cannabis plants at various stages of maturity, 80g of cannabis and a weighing scales. Mr Lee was cooperative at all times and admitted ownership of the plants and the cannabis which had a total value of approximately
€14,000.
Mr Lee said that he was previously living in Carrigaline but had separated from his wife and moved to Rylane. After the separation his two children, a son and a daughter had stayed with his wife in Carrigaline.
An emotional Mr Lee told the court that his son, who is now 21, had developed serious drug addiction issues and had run up debts with drug dealers in Carrigaline.
His wife was finding it difficult to deal with the situation and she had asked Mr Lee to take him in at Rylane, which he had agreed to do.
Mr Lee said that he had a difficult upbringing himself and had been a cannabis user. He told the court that in order to get his son away from hard drugs and to avoid further debts he decided to grow cannabis himself.
He said: ‘He had got into so much trouble with drug dealers, I thought if I grew it myself I could monitor him and keep him under
control.’
Mr Lee said that he accepted that what he did was the ‘wrong decision’ but he told the court that he did not sell cannabis to anybody else.
He told the court that his son is no longer living with him.
Defence solicitor Sean Cahill said that Mr Lee’s circumstances were unusual in that he was growing the cannabis solely to supply his own son.
He said that his client was well intentioned but misguided and as a result of what had happened he had also finally managed to kick his own cannabis habit and provided evidence to the court that Mr Lee was no longer a cannabis user.
Judge Philip O’Leary said that he accepted that Mr Lee was not dealing to any third parties and also accepted that Mr Lee had made efforts to become drug free himself.
He convicted and fined him €500 on the possession for sale or supply charge, allowing six months to pay.
