Mandurah: Grandmother (58) sold $4500 worth of marijuana originally grown for ailing husband

A 58-year-old grandmother from Ravenswood admitted in Mandurah Magistrates Court to growing marijuana for her husband, who has multiple sclerosis and to selling $4500 worth of her crop.

Gail Ann Mills pleaded guilty to cultivating a prohibited plant and possession of a prohibited drug with intent to supply.

The police prosecutor told the court that a search warrant was executed on Mills’ home on December 9, 2015 at 10.25am.

During the search they found cannabis plants growing in hydroponic set ups in two different rooms.

The first room contained immature plants and the second room contained plants with sizable buds.

Police also found digital scales, one gram of loose leaf and empty plastic clipseal bags.

Counsel for the accused said Ms Mills began growing cannabis for her husband as an alternative pain relief.

She said Ms Mills’ husband had been taking highly addictive pain killers and she saw cannabis as “a more natural relief”.

Counsel said Ms Mills sold $4500 worth of marijuana while her husband was in hospital as he had no use for it then.

She used the money to cover the rental costs of their failing business.

Counsel applied for a spent conviction as it was Ms Mills’ first conviction.

She said Ms Mills’ learned how to build a hydroponics set up and grow marijuana on the internet.

Counsel said she was not doing a great job of it as police said the plants were not especially healthy.

Magistrate Vivien Edwards asked where Ms Mills bought marijuana seeds from.

Her lawyer said Ms Mills grew the plants from clones and would not reveal where she got them from.

Magistrate Edwards said she was not willing to grant Ms Mills a spent conviction as her offences were not trivial and because she was unlikely to be seeking employment in the future.

Ms Mills was fined $4000 and ordered to pay court costs of $169.10.