Dubai: A man has been jailed for four years for consuming a synthetic cannabis known as Spice despite his mother’s efforts to convince a court her son was innocent.
“Spice drug is available over the internet, place an order and the vendors would bring it to your doorstep,” argued the mother when she stepped forward to defend her son at the Dubai Court of First Instance.
The prosecution accused the 26-year-old Emirati, M.A., of possessing a dried, grass substance weighing 1.2 grams, known as Spice.
He was also accused of consuming naphthoylindole, a drug that is a derivative of synthetic cannabis.
Although the mother argued that her son was innocent, the court found M.A. guilty of possessing and consuming drugs.
“That drug is available over the internet and anybody can place an order and the vendors would bring it to your doorstep. Spice was not a banned substance, only recently it was categorised as a banned narcotic,” the mother told the court.
The mother, who was present in the courtroom when her son pleaded guilty, requested permission to talk and said: “My son was injured in a car accident. He suffered a psychological trauma and required medication.
“At first I refused to allow him to see a therapist. Afterwards he discovered over the internet about the Spice drug and how it is a sedative medicine.
“It was being promoted and sold over the internet. That was how my son was familiarised with Spice.
“Earlier it was not criminalised and was sold anywhere. Only recently, Spice got banned. Everybody uses this material, even I myself do use it from time to time.”
“Recently I heard that His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a pardon concerning suspects involved in cases of consuming Spice. Only recently the authorities criminalised the consumption and possession of Spice,” said M.A.
An Emirati anti-narcotics lieutenant said the defendant was arrested at his residence in Nad Al Hamr.
Prosecution records said a police team raided M.A.’s home and seized the Spice drug which had been hidden under his pillow.
Spice was listed on the prohibited drugs list in the UAE as of May 31 this year.
The drug is a mix of synthetic cannabis and other chemicals, which causes hallucination, uncontrolled laughing, panic and failure to estimate distances.
