Cork man gets suspended sentence for 'not for profit' drug cultivation

Seizure comprised 'one particularly bushy plant' valued at €3,788 and €800 worth of cannabis leaf

Ronan Quinlan was charged with possession of cannabis, cultivation and possession of the drug for the purposes of sale or supply. File picture

A Cork man who was cultivating cannabis in what a court was told was a "not-for-profit business" has received a suspended jail sentence.

Ronan Quinlan, aged 40, of Barry's Road, Schull, Co Cork, committed the offence on November 21, 2019, at Griselina, Inglenook, Schull.

Bantry District Court court heard the seizure comprised what Judge Colm Roberts described as "one particularly bushy plant" valued at €3,788 and €800 worth of cannabis leaf, and that it was effectively based on Mr Quinlan's views at the time as to the "benign" nature of the drug.

Mr Quinlan was charged with possession of cannabis, cultivation and possession of the drug for the purposes of sale or supply. 

In court, his solicitor, Eamonn Fleming, said his client had pleaded guilty to all matters when the case was last before the court on November 26.

A probation report had been provided to court. While Judge Colm Roberts said it was "very positive" in many ways, he was concerned that, just because someone might find something to be benign — in this case the cultivation of cannabis — does not mean that the law did not apply.

"I question that as a reasonable explanation," he said.

Mr Fleming said: "The influence of drugs on the thought process would lead them to rationalise it in that way." 

He clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time.

The judge said Mr Quinlan had been supplying to others "not for profit" and "spreading his benign view". Mr Fleming said: "He was in a haze at this stage."

Mr Fleming argued that his client, who was working, is at low risk of reoffending and that the probation report was "fairly glowing".

The judge remarked that the cannabis plant was "well looked after" and that there were "societal effects" when it came to cultivation.

"There is a big connection between cannabis with high THC content and mental health," he said. "Anyone who disputes that is not dealing with the facts."

He fined Mr Quinlan €500 for possession of the drug and said regarding the cultivation charge that without the guilty plea and the probation report it would have resulted in a custodial sentence.

He said the best he could do in the circumstances was a three-month sentence, suspended for two years, with the charge of having cannabis for sale or supply taken into consideration.

"His own behaviour has led to him not going into custody," the judge said. "He has dealt with it. Benign views do not always have benign consequences."