A Tasmanian woman who ran a "relatively sophisticated" cannabis growing operation with her son and sold oil-infused gummy lollies initially made the illegal confectionary to help her sick dog.
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Anya Cooper, 48, and Toby Cooper-McLeod, 21, were sprung when cryovac-sealed gummy lollies were discovered by police during a raid of a mail centre in Burnie in November 2020.
The pair have been handed a 16-month suspended jail sentence, with Justice Tamara Jago noting they both used cannabis oil to assist with pain management.
Exercise books seized from their house indicated they sold more than 1800 bags of gummy lollies, at a value of up to $55,000.
Ms Cooper supplied the lollies to people experiencing medical difficulties and on occasion provided them free to people she believed were suffering.
"Her motivation for becoming involved in trafficking cannabis and cannabis product was not initially to make money but to assist both herself and others who were suffering from pain," Justice Jago said in sentencing remarks published on Wednesday.
"Whatever view may be taken of the medicinal qualities of cannabis, it remains very clearly the law in this state that it is unlawful to traffic in the substance."
Ms Cooper told police she purchased cannabis seeds online and learned to grow the plants through trial and error.
"She said she initially commenced making the gummy lollies for her sick dog, but was later approached by other people seeking to purchase them," Justice Jago said.
Ms Cooper said her customer base grew through word of mouth, while Mr Cooper-McLeod indicated he mostly sold to people on mainland Australia.
They both pleaded guilty to cultivating a controlled plant for sale, trafficking a controlled substance and dealing with proceeds of crime.
Justice Jago said the cannabis oil proved successful in assisting Ms Cooper's dog.
The cannabis cultivating and trafficking occurred from March 2019 to November 2020.
Ms Cooper has a neck whiplash injury, while Mr Cooper-McLeod suffered a morphine addiction after being prescribed the painkiller following a car crash.
He now uses medicinal cannabis.
"(The pair) trafficked in illegal drugs on a frequent and extensive basis and whilst their motivation may not initially have been to make money, that is clearly what happened," Justice Jago said.
The estimated street value of cannabis products at their home was more than $30,000. More than $12,000 in seized cash was forfeited to the state.
Australian Associated Press
