Grandma who shipped cannabutter in Australia convicted

A grandma in Australia found healing benefits from cannabis-infused butter, but it backfired when her teenage great-grandson used it to make cupcakes and share them at school.

Pam Annette Bickerton, 74, was convicted on May 4 after her teenage great-grandson used her cannabis-infused butter to bake cupcakes and shared them with classmates at school in South Australia.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that Bickerton made the cannabis-infused butter to help control her insomnia and that it worked, jurors heard at a court hearing on April 19.

Bickerton says she was half asleep when her unnamed teenage grandson asked if he could use some of the cannabutter. “Still in a state of fatigue and sadly … she said go for it — just make sure you clean up afterwards,” her attorney said in court.

When police responded to the incident and arrived at Bickerton’s home in the weeks that followed, she admitted she still had three bags of cannabutter and two bongs in her freezer, which were immediately confiscated.

However, Judge Justin Wickens was unimpressed by the defense and said Bickerton should have known better.

“Police became aware of an allegation that a student was selling cannabis-infused cupcakes [the school after the students] presented to the infirmary with symptoms consistent with cannabis use,” Magistrate Justin Wickens said. “Police spoke to two students who disclosed this [another student] delivered the cannabis-laced cakes.”

The judge asked them to consider the seriousness of their alleged crime. “This is a very serious crime and supplying drugs to a minor is a very serious crime,” he said.

Bickerton pleaded guilty to one count of supplying or administering a controlled drug to a child before appearing in Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The great-grandmother was sentenced on Thursday. Bickerton faced a 3.5-year prison sentence behind bars, but dropped in favor of a guilty plea and a commitment to good behavior.

Her great-grandson was not charged for handing out the cupcakes.

Cannabis reform in Australia

Medicinal cannabis is legal throughout Australia by prescription and subject to certain restrictions. Cannabis is a scheduled substance in the county, regulated by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration).

Cannabis reform for adult use in Australia continues to progress. A recent report has revealed Australia’s plans to tackle cannabis legalization in the coming years.

The Australian Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) recently published a proposal examining two options for approaching cannabis legalisation. At the request of Senator David Shoebridge and the Australian Greens Party, also known as the Greens, she was tasked with investigating what legalization might look like.

According to the PBO report, the first option would constitute the creation of the Cannabis National Agency (CANA), which would act as the sole wholesaler between producers and retailers, setting wholesale prices for cannabis and issuing licenses to potential cannabis business owners. The second option contains all the provisions of the first option, with the exception of the last recommendation, which would change the excise duty to 15% instead of 25%.

Grannies and fortified edibles

Another grandma made headlines for helping the sick with her cannabis-infused edibles. Mary Jane Rathbun, also known as “Brownie Mary”, helped people suffering from HIV and chemotherapy with cannabis-infused edibles. At her peak, Rathbun was baking 600 infused brownies a week for $20 a dozen.

She also helped decriminalize cannabis. In 1992, Mary testified before the San Francisco board of directors about the benefits of cannabis, leading to a resolution to make possession of medicinal cannabis the “lowest priority” in arrests and prosecutions.