An arthritis sufferer who was caught with £23,000 worth of cannabis at his home in Powys claims it was for personal use, a court has heard.
Ashley Gentles, 36, changed his plea to guilty after previously denying the charge of having 28 cannabis plants in Llanymynech on January 4 this year.
A Newton hearing will be held later this year to establish the factual basis of Gentles’ plea which the Crown said it did not find acceptable, Mold Crown Court was told today (Friday).
Brian Treadwell, barrister for the prosecution, said Gentles claimed the “professional” cannabis growing set-up worth £23,000 was for his own personal use.
However, Gentles’ defence barrister Dafydd Roberts told the court that the cannabis plants were grown for its oil, stating that it is high in CBD – used to control pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis – and low in THC, the chemical in cannabis that makes the user high.
