Adam William Leighton James Ferris (28) was raised in a ‘drug-centred environment’ and cannabis ‘is the only constant in his life’, Jurats were told.
These were among the mitigating factors that led the court to impose a 150-hour community service order rather than a prison sentence.
Crown Advocate Chris Baglin, prosecuting, told the court that the police raided Ferris’s flat in St Helier in March last year and found herbal cannabis, an MDMA tablet, drug paraphernalia including a grow tent and extractor fan and £2,500 in cash.
When he was arrested he commented: ‘It was worth a try.’
The court was told that Ferris had three previous convictions for possession of cannabis and one for importing the drug.
The drug-growing equipment had not been used and the quantities found in his flat were small, and Ferris immediately admitted the charges of possession and supplying, the court heard.
Crown Advocate Baglin added: ‘The defendant had had a long exposure to cannabis. He had smoked cannabis since the age of eight and was raised in a drug-centred environment.’
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, added: ‘It was his mother who first supplied the drug, encouraged him to take it, and indeed rolled his first joint.
‘It was normal for cannabis to be around the house when he was growing up.’
But she pointed out: ‘He would spend days in bed crying because of his spina bifida. He was not somebody who started self-medicating with cannabis in his adult life. It’s the only way he has ever known.
‘Cannabis was the only constant in his life.’
Advocate Dale added that Ferris had only sold drugs in order to make money for his own habit, had co-operated fully with the police and had stopped using cannabis since his arrest.
Lieutenant-Bailiff Anthony Olsen told Ferris that he would normally face prison but said: ‘Advocate Dale has pointed out some very salient mitigation factors. It’s quite clear that cannabis has been front and centre of your life from a very young age.’
Jurats Jane Ronge and Elizabeth Dulake were sitting.
