A sentence of 5 years' imprisonment for cultivating nearly twice the commercial quantity of cannabis (49.5 kg against a 25 kg threshold) is stern but within the permissible range, particularly where the offender has prior convictions for serious drug trafficking. The case confirms that comparable sentences do not establish a tariff and that prior convictions for drug offending, even if 20 years old, strongly support specific deterrence where the offender has a pattern of turning to serious crime under stress.
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