Man who had ganja for ‘asthma’ jailed for three years

A man was on Thursday found guilty of having 7.9 grammes of marijuana in his possession and was jailed for three years by Magistrate Judy Latchman who presided over the matter.

At his first arraignment on June 16, John Beaton denied the charge which stated that he had in his possession 7.9 grammes of cannabis. He had initially pleaded guilty stating that he used the prohibited substance to treat his asthma.

However, upon the advice of his counsel Paul Fung-a-Fat, the defendant changed his plea to not guilty. He was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $25,000. The trial started on June 19 at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and ended on Thursday when Beaton was found guilty.

In addition to the three-year sentence, Beaton was also ordered to pay a fine of $11, 400.