Man Addicted to Dope While in 24 Hour Care

[Dragonfan]

Northern Territory News

PHOEBE STEWART, November 6th, 2008

 

A DEAF mute ruled unfit to plead to two serious Territory stabbings has become addicted to cannabis while under 24-hour government supervision, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.

 

Roland Ebatarintja, 30, has spent most of a five-year non-custodial supervision order under the care of the NT Health Department after being found unfit to plead in 2004.

 

He is profoundly deaf after contracting meningitis as a toddler, and the location of his care is suppressed.

 

But Justice Trevor Riley was shocked to be told by a Health Department lawyer yesterday that Mr Ebatarintja had become addicted to cannabis in care.

 

"How can he have access - a man in 24-hour care - to cannabis of that quantity that he could be an addict?" Justice Riley asked Health Department lawyer David Farquhar.

 

Mr Farquhar - who said he represented Health Department chief executive David Ashbridge - did not have "an answer to that".

 

But Mr Farquhar said "when visitors come" to see Mr Ebatarintja, "managers, carers and support workers" give them "privacy".

 

Mr Farquhar said it was not known if the visitors were supplying the man with drugs.

 

"We're talking about a significant quantity."

 

"You don't become an addict by having a joint now and then," Justice Riley said.

 

Justice Riley said the Health Department "surely can't be seen" to be "committing criminal offences" to take place by having a person under their supervision.

 

Mr Farquhar said one of the issues was that Mr Ebatarintja was surrounded by health carers who were not jailers.

 

The issue of Mr Ebatarintja's addiction came to light in a letter to the court from the Health Department reporting two suspicions of breaches of his non-custodial orders.

 

Justice Riley said if the Health Department was "unable" to provide appropriate care for Mr Ebatarintja, "maybe he has to be put in jail".

 

"He has been consuming marijuana ... and consuming a lot of it," Justice Riley said.

 

"He's also not stayed at his house as he is supposed to. If he continues ... then I'm going to put him in jail."

 

Justice Riley told Mr Ebatarintja - through an interpreter - he "must do" as his supervisors tell him.

 

He adjourned the matter for a review hearing on December 3.

[lightning]

Yet a further example of the "success" of the governments total prohibition laws to limit exclusivley to medical and scientific purposes as require by the treaty.... NOT

[mull]

Also conveniently unmentioned, in the last 4 years under heavy cannabis use (addicted )

he has not stabbed anyone again..

[smokinjoe]

Also conveniently unmentioned, in the last 4 years under heavy cannabis use (addicted )

he has not stabbed anyone again..

 

Whack him in Jail Justice Riley; he'll then go from being "addicted" (sic) to Marijuana to a heroin/ice addiction.

[jam]

why put someone in jail and make shit worse, i say give the bloke some mental health as you can get mentally addicted, which means there could be a mental issue, we all love to smoke but enjoy other stuff, so are balanced but when there is nothing to do, ie in 24hr care...... think about it..

[smokinjoe]

why put someone in jail and make shit worse, i say give the bloke some mental health as you can get mentally addicted, which means there could be a mental issue, we all love to smoke but enjoy other stuff, so are balanced but when there is nothing to do, ie in 24hr care...... think about it..

 

Evidently I wasn't being clear; I certainly do not advocate jailing someone for cannabis; I was merely pointing out rather than his so called pot addiction he'd exit jail with something much worse.