Bridgewater couple gets jail time for regularly giving weed to 13-year-old

A couple from Bridgewater, N.S., has been found guilty of regularly giving marijuana to a 13-year-old boy over a four-month period.

In a decision released Tuesday, Judge Paul Scovil said a 39-year-old mother was sharing parenting duties with her estranged husband at the time of the offence. Scovil said the mother was living with her common-law partner, a 31-year-old man with a prior trafficking charge.

Global News has protected the identities of the guilty parties in order to protect the identity of the 13-year-old.

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In his decision, Scovil said the offences occurred between Oct. 1, 2016, and Jan. 7, 2017, and the matter was brought forward by the teen’s father, who found his 13-year-old son trying to smoke catnip.

“In the … household, there was a culture of marijuana use. The door to the room where (the accused) had two marijuana plants growing had a sign stating, ‘Mum’s Grow Op,’” the decision reads.

“(The 13-year-old) indicated he would smoke marijuana six to seven times every weekend he spent at his mother’s. At times, if he coughed when smoking he was called a p***y.”

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Scovil handed down a 90-day sentence to the man and a 45-day sentence to the mother, as she did not have a past record related to trafficking.

The Crown was asking for a six-month and three-month sentence for the man and the boy’s mother, respectively.

In his decision, Scovil stressed how the legalization of cannabis does not lessen the concern from society about making it available to minors.

“It was not legal to give a 13-year-old recreational cannabis at the time of the offence, it is not legal now and it is highly unlikely this it ever will be,” Scovil’s decision reads.

“The general deterrent of trafficking drugs to minors continues to be a paramount objective in sentencing.”

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The man’s sentence will be served intermittently, while the woman’s is concurrent. Both will be placed on a one-year probation after their sentence.