A 40-year-old Dubbo man found with "wet and mouldy" marijuana was using it as a form of self-medication to treat a back problem, a court has heard.
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Guy Victor Hovenden pleaded guilty to possessing 339 grams of cannabis when he appeared in Dubbo Local Court last week.
The 40-year-old man came to the attention of police on April 17 when officers smelt cannabis emanating from a house on Coronation Drive.
Police described the odour as "overbearing" in court documents and when they entered the property Hovenden was seen to be in a "semi-conscious state".
A bag of cannabis was located on a bed and two plastic containers with cannabis inside were seen at the foot of a bed.
Police said bottles of methadone were all around Hovenden, "in addition to numerous items used for intravenous drug use".
A syringe was also spotted near Hovenden's right foot.
In court Hovenden's legal representative said "the marijuana was wet and mouldy" and used as a form of "self-medication for a back problem".
Hovenden was "having a hard time mentally" after a relative died and he did not have a lengthy criminal record, the court heard.
Magistrate Gary Wilson convicted Hovenden and sentenced him to a 12-month good behaviour order that required him to be supervised by Community Corrections.