A judge told the mother of a four-month-old baby to wise up and stop smoking drugs around her child as he convicted her on cannabis charges yesterday.
Judge John Walker had visions of smoky chemicals filling a room with a tiny baby in it, as the youngster's mother used spotting knives to consume cannabis, he told Monique Danielle McKenzie yesterday in the the Blenheim District Court.
McKenzie, 23, of Picton, was charged with having cannabis utensils, including bongs, spotting knives and pipes.
The police prosecutor, Sergeant Steve Frost, said police were at McKenzie's house on an unrelated matter when the utensils were found.
He said McKenzie told police the utensils were hers and that she was smoking drugs because she had been through a rough time lately.
Lawyer Tane Brunt said McKenzie had no previous convictions.
Judge Walker said McKenzie should be more responsible and turn to other ways of looking for help if she needed it, rather than drugs. He ordered her to come up for sentence in 12 months if called upon.
If she stayed out of trouble during those months, she would escape sentence, he said.
A young woman's dream of travelling to North America were dashed yesterday when she was convicted of possessing cannabis.
Jennifer Frances Thomas, a 26-year-old Blenheim administration clerk, was charged with possessing cannabis and cannabis seeds.
Mr Frost said police searched Thomas' home on March 30 and found a metal tin containing a gram of cannabis in the kitchen and a wooden box in the living room with 24 cannabis seeds.
Mr Brunt said Thomas used the class C drug for personal use as a way to relax after work.
She had forgotten the seeds were there, he said.
Mr Brunt said Thomas had hoped to travel to North America, but a conviction would prevent her from going.
Judge Walker said it was well known that charges such as these would result in problems at the borders of foreign countries. "Everyone knows cannabis possession leads to those results."
Thomas was convicted and fined $150 on each charge, plus $130 court costs.
A man living at the same Hutcheson St house as Thomas also faced cannabis charges following the police search.
Travis Denver Harvey, 32, was charged with having cannabis plant and drug utensils.
Mr Frost said resealable bags of cannabis were found throughout the house, including in Harvey's bedroom, where police found six tinnies totalling 18 grams.
Officers also found a softdrink bottle cut down to make a bong and a pipe.
Mr Frost said Harvey told police he used the drug to ease the pain in his leg and foot suffered after a car accident.
Mr Brunt said Harvey had about $4700 in unpaid fines.
Judge Walker sentenced Harvey to 40 hours of community work.
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