11:31AM, Fri Aug 17, 2012

'God Told Me To Do It' Said Bible-Quoting Cannabis Smoker

By Hugh Macknight Location: South Shields

A cannabis smoker quoted the Bible to police who arrested him claiming he was doing nothing wrong.

South Tyneside Magistrates Court heard Nevin Hattle said he had every right to smoke the Class B drug claiming a passage in the Bible said people can smoke anything that is grown in the earth.

But when the officers asked him if he knew it was illegal to smoke cannabis, he said he did and admitted possession.

Paul Anderson, prosecuting, told the court the 22-year-old, of Marshall Wallis Road, South Shields, was arrested when police arrived at his house to talk to one of his friends on July 22 this year.

He said: “Police searched him and found a small plastic tub which had money and an amount of cannabis bush inside.

“He was arrested and told them it was a bit of weed but he didn’t think it was wrong to smoke it because the Bible says it is OK to smoke anything grown in the ground, and in accordance with his religious beliefs he smoked it.

“He accepted it was against the law to do so however.”

Janice Hall, defending, said: “He fully cooperated with the police when they found the cannabis.

“He bought some for £10, had smoked some and there was a little bit left. It was all for his own consumption.”

Magistrates gave him a six-month conditional discharge and ordered for the drugs to be destroyed.