Student claims to be part of ‘hobbyist cannabis culture’

A student, found with cannabis plants and a weighing scales, claimed he was part of “a hobbyist cannabis culture” following a connoisseur’s blogs.

Daniel Flynn, of 21 Dromnevane, Kenmare, a visual communications and graphic design student who hopes to work in advertising, is claiming he was indulging in “a hobby” in which he measured his own intake of the herb and was following a weekly blog on the internet, for about a year.

Mr Flynn appeared before Kenmare District Court, charged with unlawful possession, cultivation and with sale or supply of cannabis; including two lumps of cannabis resin, found in a kitchen drawer, valued at €120, two bags of cannabis herb, valued at €800 on December 13, 2013.

Mr Flynn is accepting the illegal cultivation of the three plants found in the attic, and to small amounts found in a downstairs drawer — but is, in the words of his solicitor, Padraig O’Connell, “adamantly denying” selling or supplying the drug to others.

Having heard preliminary arguments, on two occasions, Judge James O’Connor has decided he is not to send the matter forward to the higher Circuit Court, but is to hear the case in the District Court in Kenmare in October 2015.

Supt Flor Murphy told Kenmare Court that gardaí, acting on confidential information of suspected cultivation, arrived with a search warrant at the home of Mr Flynn at Dromnevane on the December 2013 date.

They found three dead plants in the attic, that had been growing, as well as equipment. The attic had been converted for growing, the garda said.

The judge previously questioned why Mr Flynn would have digitalised equipment, if it were for his own use.

He also asked why it was a search warrant situation and Supt Murphy said confidential information had been given to gardaí about suspected cultivation.

Mr Flynn said that the digitalized bar scales was used to measure his own consumption — not for selling cannabis.

“There’s a culture of hobbyist cannabis growers and I was reading blogs. I never had any intention of supplying,” Mr Flynn said.

Judge James O’Connor accepted jurisdiction and ordered copies of garda notebooks to be furnished.

The matter is to be heard in Kenmare in October.