Marijuana sent to elderly dad for pain relief

File photo / NZ Herald

A West Coast man who posted pot to his 94-year-old father in Oamaru for pain relief has been convicted and discharged.

James Carson, 55, unemployed of Seddonville, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying cannabis when he appeared in Westport District Court yesterday.

Sergeant Mark Harris said police had seized a package containing cannabis posted to Carson's sister in Oamaru in January.

Carson's prints were found on the package.

Another package containing 11g of cannabis was intercepted in April.

In May police found two packages of cannabis when they searched Carson's house.

Defence lawyer Doug Taffs said Carson's sister wasn't the recipient of the cannabis. It was for his father, who shared her house.

Carson had been down there for a couple of months looking after his father who was in extreme pain, said Mr Taffs.

He knew his father had used cannabis for pain relief in the past so when he went back to Granity where cannabis was cheap and abundant, he sent some to his father.

"It was a misguided but compassionate act", and this was reflected in the very light charges the police had laid, Mr Taffs said.

Judge Somerville said Carson had four historic charges of the same nature, but he accepted in this case he was supplying his father for free with pain relief.

He convicted and discharged him and ordered him to pay court costs of $132.89 on each conviction.