A man in French Polynesia has been given a three-month suspended sentence for planting a cannabis plant in front of the territorial assembly building.
A month ago, the man, who is the president of a group called Tahiti Herb Culture, or THC, staged the planting as part of a campaign to approve cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Photo: RNZ
The group pointed out that France was authorising clinical tests of therapeutic cannabis while French Polynesia opted for repression.
The court found the man guilty of transporting and possessing a banned drug.
His lawyer is quoted as saying he will appeal and seek an acquittal, describing his client as an activist and not a criminal.
He said the man's action should be judged as a sign of freedom of expression as it was in the case of a feminist activist of Femen in France.