Newcastle motorist who used cannabis to treat back pain caught in motorway pitstop in Washington by police

James Miller, 44, confessed to police at Washington Services on the A1(M) he had used the prohibited substance the previous night.

It was enough for Miller, of Front Street, Lemington, Newcastle, to be drug swiped on Tuesday, January 28, prosecutor Marcus Blakelock said.

He gave a positive reading for class C cannabis and was arrested, and an evidential blood test at a police station proved he was over the drug drive limit.

Miller is now starting a 12-month roads’ ban after pleading guilty to drug driving during a hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Blakelock said: “An officer has witnessed a Transit van which was stopped just off a public road, at Washington Services.

“The driver said that he had used cannabis the previous night. A roadside drug swipe came back positive.

“He does have two previous convictions, but the last conviction was in 1998, and it appears unrelated.

“It’s a disqualification of between 12 and 16 months. There are no aggravating factors.”

Miller gave a reading in blood for cannabis breakdown product THC of 6.4mcg. The legal limit of 2mcg.

David Forrester, defending, told District Judge Zoe Passfield: “Two conditional discharges as a juvenile. He’s going to be impacted by this offence.

“He’s asked me if you could delay sentencing for two or three weeks, his wife goes to hospital. It doesn’t work like that.

“He has a bad back and was self-medicating with cannabis the night before. It was a random stop by the police at Washington Services.

“He’s self-employed as a builder. He’s not been working much lately and is going to be working even less now.

“You will give him full credit for his early guilty plea.”

Alongside his driving disqualification, Judge Passfield fined Miller £120, with £85 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.

She warned him: “Don’t drive whilst you’re disqualified. If you do, you can expect to go straight to prison.”