December 7, 2014

B.C. Judge Discharges Man Caught Growing 414 Marijuana Plants

December 7, 2014
small marijuana garden

small marijuana gardenUsually when someone gets caught growing 414 plants, they are looking at a very harsh punishment. But in British Columbia, a judge with above average compassion and logical reasoning skills granted a full discharge to a man growing 414 marijuana plants. The plants were being grown by Michael Santos, who was growing them for medical purposes for himself and other people he gave the medical marijuana away to. Per Metro News:

A judge has given an absolute discharge to a man charged with trafficking marijuana after police raided his Lions Bay home and found 414 marijuana plants, although almost half most were seedlings.

Michael Santos, an audio engineer with no criminal record, pleaded guilty to possessing about three kilograms of marijuana for trafficking.

The police raid took place on Feb. 28, 2013, when a battering ram was used to break the front door when no one immediately answered at Santos’ rental home, where he lived with his wife and two children.

The judge, Joanne Challenger, provided the following reasoning for the decision:

“Given what Mr. Santos knows about the disease he is predisposed to and the effect it has had on his family, I accept that his medical use was and is sincere,” the judge said in a recent written judgment. “Even if the only benefit the use of marijuana actually provides is hope, the emotional and, in turn, physical benefits could well be medically significant.”

“His conduct was not dangerous or antisocial and recent polls suggest that a majority of Canadians do not believe such conduct should be the subject of criminal sanctions,” the judge said.

Could you imagine if every judge was as intelligent as this one? Rather than cling to failed policies of the past, this judge decided to do a very logical and compassionate thing. The Justice system, whether it be in Canada or the United States or anywhere else, should be designed to protect citizens. It’s nice to know that at least one judge out there is doing it right.

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