Man fined over growing cannabis to ease chronic back pain

A north former manual worker left suffering from chronic back pain grew cannabis to help ease his discomfort.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told that police raided Robert Cowan’s home in Bruce Gardens, Inverness on March 9 last year and found him cultivating seven plants of the drug.

Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph said the plants did not appear to be mature.

Cowan, 62, had admitted a charge of producing a controlled drug.

‘Cannabis oil took the pain away’

Defence solicitor Rory Gowans told Sheriff Ian Cruickshank that his client had several health issues.

He also told the court that the cost of cannabis oil, which he client used to help manage the pain, had led him to grow the plants.

Mr Gowans said: “He suffers from chronic back pain suffered while working a manual job many years ago. He discovered cannabis oil took the pain away and he was trying to produce it.

“It costs around £60 a bottle. That was how he got involved in this low key amateur enterprise.”

Cowan was fined £400.