THREE FOR POT IN 30 YEARS 'NOT BAD'

For a man who has smoked cannabis for 30 years, Craig Gifkins was
doing pretty well to have only two previous drug-related convictions.

But lighting a joint in front of police officers resulted in
conviction number three in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday.

Police were called to a Church Street flat about 1am on Friday last
week after Gifkins, 46, had an argument with an associate, prosecutor
Chris Whitmore told Judge Stephen O'Driscoll.

"The defendant admitted consuming cannabis at the address and, in the
presence of the police, lit a used cannabis cigarette," Mr Whitmore
said.

Police found 24 grams of cannabis in a plastic bag on Gifkins, who
said he'd used cannabis for 30 years.

Gifkins counsel, Mark Alderdice, told Judge O'Driscoll his client only
had two previous similar convictions, the last in 1984.

"That's not bad for someone who's used cannabis for 30 years," the
judge remarked.

Gifkins was convicted of possessing cannabis, fined $250 and ordered
to pay court costs of $130.