Police in Aviemore could smell cannabis in van driver’s cab
A mechanical engineer who took cannabis to help him deal with stress over family issues was stopped by police in his van for a routine check.
But officers could immediately smell cannabis from the vehicle and the saliva swipe provided by 41 year old Colin Bowie in the car park of the Cairngorm Mountain Shop in Aviemore on October 22, 2023, proved positive for the Class B drug.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that subsequent analysis of Bowie's blood gave a reading of 9.8mcgs of the drug when the safe driving limit is 2mcgs.
Bowie, of Savock Cottages, Newburgh admitted driving while under the influence of drugs and was fined £840.
He was also banned from driving for a year.
However despite the ban, defence solicitor Duncan Henderson told Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood: "He is valued enough that he will be kept on by his employers.
“He used cannabis to cope with stress. He has since ceased all use of cannabis."
