Fireworks burns victim in court for making cannabis oil

PAIN RELIEF: The court heard that David Edward McEvoy had been able to reduce his OxyContin use from 80mg to 30mg a day by using cannabis oil to numb his pain. A FATEFUL decision as a 14-year-old to enter a Sydney pyrotechnics factory left Gaeta man David Edward McEvoy with a lifetime of pain. The now 54-year-old was with three other children when a fire broke out. The blaze killed one of the children and left McEvoy with burns to 85 per cent of his body, 65 per cent of which were third degree. McEvoy lost count of the operations he had in the years that followed and he continues to suffer with pain from those injuries he suffered 40 years ago. The traumatic events were detailed in Bundaberg District Court as McEvoy pleaded guilty to possessing more than 500g of marijuana, admitting he extracted the oil to use medicinally to treat his pain. McEvoy's was dealt further blows when he injured his back, aged 28, while working delivering 25kg bags of flour. In 2004 he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said McEnvoy was not at the Gaeta property on April 16, 2016, when police found 816g of marijuana, both plants and dried. "He told police it was for personal use and how he used it to make butter and make cakes with, medicinally for his cancer and to help him sleep,: Mr Cook said. Mr Cook said the Crown accepted not all of the marijuana was McEvoy's, with a percentage belonging to another man who also lived at the property. The court heard McEvoy accepted the charge because he did own some of the drug, knew the plants were there and owned the property. Living in a caravan on the property, which had no running water or power, McEvoy would walk 500m to a creek to get water. Police found 10 marijuana plants, between 50cm and 2m, growing at the same creek bed. The court heard McEvoy credited the cannabis oil with the remission of his cancer and had been able to reduce his OxyContin use from 80mg to 30mg a day by using it to numb his pain. Judge Brendan Butler said while one could understand McEvoy's actions in light of his significant health and pain problems, self-grown marijuana was illegal in Queensland and McEnvoy would just have to rely on medication until cannabis became medically available for him. He fined McEvoy $700. Originally published here: https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/fireworks-burns-victim-in-court-for-making-cannabi/3326718/