Wisbech man admits drug-driving after King's Lynn stop

The crest above the entrance to King's Lynn Court in College Lane. ENGANL00120120910143711

A man caught driving while more than three times the legal cannabis limit has told a court he smokes the drug to stop himself from going out 'drinking and fighting.'

Nathan Large, 34, of Cross Lane, Wisbech, pleaded guilty to charges of drug-driving and possession of cannabis during a hearing in King’s Lynn yesterday.

The court heard he had been stopped by police near King’s Lynn on the afternoon of August 2, because of concerns over the manner of his driving.

After failing a roadside saliva test, samples showed he had 7.1 micrograms of the class B drug in a litre of his blood. The legal limit is two.

Large, who represented himself in court, told police he used the drug to “self-medicate” and told magistrates he had a hernia.

He added: “I’ve been smoking cannabis since I was 13. It’s my choice to stop myself going to pubs and clubs and fighting with travellers.”

He also claimed a police officer had told him he wished people would use cannabis than alcohol and questioned why he had been permitted to drive back to his home after the testing process was completed.

Large was banned from driving for three years, fined £50 and told to pay £85 costs plus a £30 victim surcharge.