Breast feeding mum on cannabis

Medsafe advises on its website to avoid cannabis during breastfeeding as the long-term effects were unknown. File photo / NZ Herald

A Tauranga mum who is breastfeeding her five-month-old baby also smoked cannabis regularly.

Kerrie Moana Tarawa, 22, pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court to a charge of possessing cannabis for supply after police searched her Haukore St home on the afternoon of July 12.

Judge Oke Blaikie told Tarawa that as a mother of young children who admitted to using cannabis on a regular basis she needed to be "completely drug-free" for their sake - particularly when breast-feeding a baby.

"As a mother your money should be going to pay for food and clothing for your children, not spent on drugs or cannabis."

Medsafe advises on its website to avoid cannabis during breastfeeding as the long-term effects were unknown.

The summary of facts reveals that when Tarawa saw the police arrive at her home she attempted to run to her bedroom but was stopped in the hallway.

When spoken to by police executing the search warrant she admitted to owning cannabis stored in a sunglasses case under her bed.

When the item was inspected four cannabis "tinnies" were inside with a combined weight of 4g.

Her lawyer David Bates told Judge Blaikie on Tuesday that his client only had one prior conviction for careless driving and was at a loss to explain to him how she got involved in the drug offending.

Mr Bates said Tarawa was a mother of two breastfeeding her 5-month-old second child so a community work sentence would be difficult for her to carry out.

Judge Blaikie sentenced her to six months supervision and ordered her to undertake rehabilitation.