CANNABIS EXPERT WAS ALSO DEALER

A man who has campaigned for the medical use of cannabis has been convicted
of illegally supplying the drug.

Neil Montgomery admitted selling cannabis resin to two tabloid journalists
posing as businessmen at Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel last year.

The city's sheriff court heard how Montgomery had in the past appeared as
an expert witness in court cases and before a Westminster committee.

He was sentenced to 150 hours' community service.

Last month Montgomery, of Dunbar's Close, in Edinburgh, had pleaded guilty
to supplying cannabis resin and cannabis to two News of the World
investigative reporters in the hotel.

The 43-year-old social anthropologist was arrested when details of the
so-called sting were published in the newspaper.

Lawyer Mark Chambers said in his client's defence that he had been the
victim of "an elaborate hoax" carried out by reporters.

The court heard that reporters Mahzar Mahmood and Mahmood Qureshi set up a
meeting with Montgomery in the hotel on 21 February.

Montgomery was acting as a consultant for a drugs research company.

The undercover reporters said they wanted him to act as a consultant for a
project - licensed by the Pakistani Government - to manufacture medicinal
products containing cannabis.

Montgomery was then asked if he could supply cannabis.

Cannabis Resin

He told the reporters he knew someone who could supply some "really quite
nice" cannabis.

He left an envelope which contained cannabis resin at the hotel later that
evening.

The next day Montgomery returned to the hotel and was asked for more of the
drug.

A person who was with him was given UKP20 for the drugs previously
delivered and a further UKP20 for drugs which Montgomery later delivered.

Mr Chambers said his client had lost his position as a pharmaceuticals
consultant and had been guilty of "rashness and foolishness".

Sheriff Douglas Allan said he had read newspaper articles about Montgomery,
letters of reference and a letter from Montgomery himself.

Montgomery had even appeared as an expert defence witness in the sheriff's
own court.

The sheriff said: "Clearly you have a great deal of knowledge of the subject.

"That puts you in a difficult area because this is a subject, which at the
moment has a degree of illegality which you don't agree with and you have
made efforts to try and ensure the law is changed".

The sheriff said he accepted that Montgomery had been "set up by a fairly
elaborate pretence", but he had crossed the boundary into breaking the law.