Motorist blamed cannabis-smoking friend for being over drug-drive limit

Nicholas Churchman, 31, of Edenhill Road, Peterlee, insisted he had not touched the illegal substance at any time on Tuesday, September 10 – the day a blood test proved positive.

The jobless former asbestos stripper admitted to magistrates in South Tyneside he had used cannabis in the past but had not smoked it for two years.

But Churchman, who insisted he would never have driven had he known he was over the limit, confessed he may have eaten some the weekend before to ease pain.

He has now been banned from the roads for a year and fined £120 after admitting two charges of drug-driving on the A194(M) from the same police stop.

Prosecutor Glenda Beck said: “At 6.45pm, police officers see a Citroen C2 that was weaving between the lanes.

“They followed the vehicle and caused it to stop and when they spoke to the driver he smelled of cannabis.

“A roadside breath test was carried out. He was taken to Southwick police station. He provided a blood sample which was analysed.”

Mrs Beck said the analysis showed that the sample contained 4.5mcgs of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol per litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mcgs.

He also had 85mcgs of Benzoylecgonine per litre of blood, a cocaine breakdown product, against a legal limit of 50mcgs.

Defending himself, Churchman said: “I wasn’t smoking cannabis, it was one of my friends in the car, that’s why the car was smelling of cannabis.

‘I’ve used cannabis in the past, but I haven’t used it for a couple of years. I use it in edible form occasionally, it helps with pain.

“One thing that I would never do is drive under the influence of drugs. I was not under the influence, I think I’d consumed edibles the weekend before which was in my system. I’m a bit gutted.

“Edibles do stay in your system a lot longer. I would like to think that I wasn’t under the influence. I think that I’d been with a friend who had been smoking all day.”

Churchman must also pay £85 court costs and a £32 victim surcharge.