(Trinidad Express) A man who lost his left leg due to diabetes and decided to grow and use marijuana for the medical condition, begged the court to “pretty please” have mercy on him.
Eric Cummings who was charged with cultivating marijuana and possession of the illegal substance, told the magistrate it would not happen again.
The plants, in a flower pot and two buckets, were shown during Cummings’s court appearance before San Fernando magistrate Alicia Chankar.
Police prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said that at 2.10p.m. last Saturday, a search warrant was executed at Cumming’s Ste Margaret’s home. He told officers he had dried marijuana and also the plants. The plants were found under a step while five grammes of dried marijuana was found on a couch in the living room.
Cummings told the police, “I have an amputated leg and I am a diabetic. I had younger friends who died from that because they did not smoke weed.”
He was charged by constable Wilson.
Cummings, 58, who lost his leg five years ago, told Chankar the marijuana helped to regularize his blood sugar level and also assisted with his eye problem. Asked about the planting of the marijuana, Cummings said, “I can’t buy marijuana because it too very expensive. I grow my own thing home to boil and drink for myself. It really, really helping me.”
He admitted that medication had been prescribed to him for his diabetic condition and Chankar told him, “Until marijuana is legalized that’s your option.”
Cummings agreed. He begged the court to have mercy on him “pretty please.” He promised, “It will never happen again.”
The magistrate fined him $3,000 for the cultivation of the marijuana and $1,000 for possession of the illegal drug. Cummings has to pay the money in two months or serve three months hard labour.
The plants and dried marijuana were ordered to be destroyed.
