Young couple on trial for eating space cakes in Monaco
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The Monaco Criminal Court heard a case on October 14 involving drug use by a young couple.
The young woman, born in 2005 in Nice, who is unemployed and hosted by friends, and her partner, born in 2004, who lives in Monaco and is also unemployed, were on trial for using cannabis resin on 19 April. During a search of the young man’s home, the police also discovered hallucinogenic mushrooms.
It all started when the young woman approached a police officer on Place d’Armes at 5 a.m., claiming to have been the victim of violence inflicted by her partner. Although no charges were brought, she had red marks on her wrists. The investigation revealed that during the afternoon, the couple had made space cakes (cakes made with cannabis resin) before going to a party. The drug induced a hallucinatory state for both of the young people. The court pointed out that the situation “could have got out of hand” and questioned the couple about their drug use. “Purely recreational, on techno nights, once a month,” they answered, adding that they had stopped using drugs altogether since the incident.
However, toxicology tests revealed that the young woman had a higher level of metabolised THC, an indication of regular consumption. “I’m surrounded by people who smoke, but I’ve never smoked a cigarette or cannabis,” she said, although she did admit to having used it in cakes. The court corrected her: “And yet, your levels show that you use it more frequently than your partner.”
A warning
During closing arguments, the prosecutor related the facts and in particular the behaviour of the two young defendants: “It’s five o’clock in the morning, she turns up barefoot, with ripped tights, and tells the police she’s scared. They made a cannabis cake and it had a strong effect on them. He flips out, grabs her and she goes to the police. When the police arrived, they described him as looking haggard. When questioned, he said he couldn’t remember anything, and she didn’t want to press charges for the violence. As we understand it, she was frightened of him because of these cakes. We’re going with consumption.” The magistrate then stressed the need for a symbolic punishment: “They don’t have much income, but they need to be reminded that it is illegal. I hope they have learned their lesson.” He requested a suspended fine, leaving it to the court to set the amount.
On the stand, the young couple, who had no legal representation, had some final words to say before the verdict: “You’ve summed up the situation well. I couldn’t find my shoes or my phone. We went to the police because we were scared for our health. I knew there were police in the Place d’Armes, because I didn’t know what else to do, I wanted to go to the hospital.” said the man. His companion added: “You’re not likely to see us again, we’ve been traumatised.”
The court found them guilty as charged, but took into account that this was their first appearance and that they have no income. They received a suspended fine of €1,500, a penalty that will only apply in the event of a new conviction within five years.