A Douglas man who drove under the influence of cannabis has been fined £1,000 and banned from the roads for two years.

Thomas Lennon Davison, of Springvalley Road, was also fined £300 for possessing the class B drug.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that the defendant was driving a Volkswagen Polo at Pulrose Road in Douglas, on November 8.

The 20-year-old was stopped by police and when officers spoke to him, they said that a smell of cannabis was present.

Davison told them that he had a grinder in the centre console of the car, and 0.2 grams of the drug was found in it.

A drug wipe test proved positive and the defendant was subsequently arrested.

At police headquarters, a blood sample was taken and sent to the UK for analysis.

This was returned on February 25, and showed a result of 5.8 for cannabis, above the legal limit of two.

Davison had initially pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of cannabis, with a pre-trial review due to be held, but then changed his plea to guilty.

Defence advocate David Reynolds handed in a letter of reference for his client and asked for credit to be given for his guilty pleas.

Mr Reynolds said that there had been no concerns about Davison’s driving, and that the car had been stopped initially because one of the other people in the vehicle was known to the police.

The advocate said that there was also no evidence that the defendant had been smoking the drug in the car.

He went on to say that Davison used it to self-medicate, but has now been prescribed medicinal cannabis.

Magistrates also ordered Davison to pay £300 prosecution costs and to take an extended driving test at the end of his ban.