A CANNABIS user for the past 40 years was brought to court after police found bags of the banned drug at his Carlisle home.

David Allardice, 57, fell foul of the law when police paid a visit to his Lorne Crescent home on the morning of January 4 this year.

The city’s Rickergate magistrates’ court heard he had used the illegal substance since he was a teenager.

Pam Ward, prosecuting, said: “Officers arrested the defendant at his home in relation to an unconnected matter.”

“Two large bags” of cannabis were found during a search of the property and the drug was found in other containers.

“One of the officers examined the substances and confirmed that it was cannabis,” said Mrs Ward. “He said he had a cannabis habit which he had had for 40 years. He said he was fully aware it was an offence to possess it.”

Allardice had no recent convictions, his last dating back more than a decade to 2009 for drugs matters, magistrates were told.

He pleaded guilty to possession of the class B controlled drug on January 4 when he appeared in court on Tuesday. 

Giving mitigation for the defendant was solicitor Duncan Campbell, who spoke of a “relatively straightforward case”.

“He is a man who has been working all his life,” said Mr Campbell. However, he suffered from arthritis in both shoulders and was not employed at present.

“He described himself as addicted to cannabis when he spoke to police,” said Mr Campbell as he addressed magistrates. “He uses cannabis now to supplement pain relief he is prescribed by his GP. You will have heard this on numerous occasions, people using it to alleviate pain.

“I ask you to be as lenient as possible.”

Magistrates imposed a £120 fine, and ordered Allardice to pay a mandatory surcharge plus £85 court costs.

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