A van driver who was on his way to work has been disqualified from driving after he was pulled over by police and found to be more than three times the limit for cannabis.
Scott Williamson, 36, was stopped and tested by police while driving on the A96 Inverurie to Aberdeen due to the strong smell of cannabis coming from his white Renault van.
When tested, Williamson was found to have more than three times the legal limit of cannabis in his system.
His solicitor told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that Williamson had been using the illegal drug to mitigate stress.
Blood sample taken
Fiscal depute Lydia Ross told the court that Williamson was seen by police who were carrying out static road checks at around 8.45am on December 3 last year.
“The accused was observed to be driving and was stopped due to the strong smell of cannabis within his vehicle,” she said.
Williamson, who works as a commercial driver for a heavy equipment firm, was made subject to a roadside saliva test, which returned a positive result for cannabis.
A blood sample was taken by police when Williamson was taken into custody.
The level of cannabis in his system was 6.3 microgrammes of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood. The legal limit is two microgrammes.
Williamson pleaded guilty to one charge of being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis.
‘It was poor decision-making’
His solicitor Stuart Murray told the court that Williamson had been working away from home and had to travel for work at the time of the offence.
“During times of stress he has used cannabis infrequently,” Mr Murray said.
“He was struggling with being away from home and due to his levels of stress he took the decision to self-medicate – it was poor decision-making.”
Sheriff Kevin Duffy told Williamson he had taken into account the circumstances of the offence and the fact that he had pled guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Sheriff Duffy fined Williamson, of Shapinsay Square, Aberdeen, a total of £640 and banned him from driving for 12 months.
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