A DISTRICT Court judge was given a brief account yesterday of how to bake cannabis cakes.
He was told by the solicitor of a man before the court that they were similar to barm bracks and nice “with a cup of tea”.
Paraic Brannigan (35), Rahoon, Galway, who attended the Rory Gallagher music festival in Ballyshannon, admitted having slices of cannabis cake there to sell at €4 each.
He was charged at Ballyshannon District Court with possession of cannabis for sale, and giving a false name.
Judge Kevin Kilrane was told Brannigan had 18 slices when gardaí searched a van at Portnason, Ballyshannon, last June 5th. “Who bakes them or where can we get them?” he asked.
Brannigan and his defence solicitor, Gerry McGovern, explained there was a green leaf that provided “a speck” of cannabis in a cake, which was baked like a bun.
Mr McGovern agreed with the judge’s assessment that the baking procedure produced something equivalent to a barm brack.
“It’s a sort of a party thing,” he said. “The content is very, very low. I’m not sure how anybody could get anything out of these cakes except enjoy a cake with a cup of tea.”
Mr McGovern added: “The defendant is not a drugs dealer or involved in drugs. He is not that kind.”
The court heard that Brannigan lived in Galway for the past year after returning from eight years in Mexico, where he worked in an orphanage. He has no previous convictions.
The judge heard he was doing a yoga course and had spent a month this year in India.
“He has been doing yoga and he’s been in India,” Judge Kilrane said. “He is all over the place.”
He adjourned sentence until January 6th for background reports. Brannigan, was remanded on bail.