Man charged with supplying 'legally grown' cannabis

Marijuana. underworld111 A DEED done in good faith for a friend suffering from a painful disease has landed an ACT man in a Gladstone courtroom. Milan Pero Tomljenovic is set to face the Gladstone Magistrates Court on charges of possessing and attempting to supply dangerous drugs, after police alleged he delivered nearly half a kilogram of cannabis into Gladstone from another state. Defence lawyer Cassandra Ditchfield appeared on Mr Tomljenovic's behalf this week, and said her client intended to plead guilty to the charges. She said her client had grown plants legally in the Australia Capital Territory. However he also harvested 460 grams worth of leaf and stem from his plants, which he brought into Gladstone to deliver to a friend suffering from cancer. She told the courtroom that while it was a hefty amount of cannabis - it was poor quality and the quantity seized contained no "bud". "There's no real value in the leaf and stems," Ms Ditchfield said. "It is mostly used in the production of baked goods or cannabis oil - both used to treat pain - for which his friend intended to use it for." The date and facts police will allege the offending occurred were not disclosed in court as Mr Tomljenovic has yet to appear. He will appear on the next occasion on December 6. The Observer was unable to contact Mr Tomljenovic for comment. In 2016, it became legal in Canberra to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes, allowing the Office of Drug Control (ODC) to accept licences to cultivate cannabis for medical reasons. In Queensland, the use of medicinal cannabis may be approved if "you have already tried the conventional treatments available for a reasonable period of time and these have failed", or if the "effects of the conventional treatment proves to be intolerable for you" - according to the Queensland Government of Health. However, your doctor will need to provide scientific evidence that the proposed type of medicinal cannabis is effective for your condition or symptoms. Late last year the Federal Government introduced laws that established a licensing scheme. It allowed medicinal cannabis to be cultivated, manufactured and supplied in Australia, rather than relying on imported product. Individual states need to implement their own legislation to allow their residents to access the cannabis through this Scheme, which Queensland has since achieved. But one cannot legally produce cannabis for own medicinal use, if you are prescribed the drug - it has to be imported, legally and under specific and strict conditions. According to ABC News, in October 2016, there was only one patient legally using medicinal cannabis in Queensland. Approval was given in 2016 for a teenager at Loganholme, south of Brisbane, to use cannabis oil capsules to treat a brain tumour. Originally published here: https://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/man-brings-460grams-of-weed-to-gladstone-for-frien/3242818/