Australian man spared jail time for growing weed because his pot plants were terrible

A 37-year-old Australian man who was growing his own cannabis has been spared a custodial sentence, due to the fact that his pot plants were so terrible they couldn’t get users high.

David Giumelli from Balingup, Western Australia, was freed last Monday after a sentencing hearing where he was found guilty of cultivation and possession with intent to supply. Giumelli had been growing over 50 plants in the cover of a fruit orchard.

Law enforcement raided the orchard on September 19, finding a variety of plants and seedlings, as well as a hydroponic grow setup located in a nearby shed. Giumelli, who happens to be a trained horticulturalist, admitted in court that he had been testing methods of growing the plants for personal, medical use. He claimed that the reason he was in possession of so many plants was due to his own incompetence at growing them successfully, according to The Kalgoorlie Miner.

Giumelli claimed that the reason he was in possession of so many plants was due to his own incompetence at growing them successfully.

The Bunbury District Court judge agreed with the latter statement, referring the drugs as “unusable,” and handed down a 12-month suspended sentence. Giumelli’s legal representation chose to highlight his lack of cultivation skills.

“Had he have been able to actually grow the cannabis plants to a point where he could get flowering to occur and buds to develop then he would not have had 54 plants–he wouldn’t have had 10 mature plants,” said Twistie Venning, Giumelli’s lawyer.

“It is slightly ironic that he is a trained horticulturalist, but actually failed to obtain usable material from the cultivation of the cannabis.”