A MAN who was caught with cannabis claims he was using it for self-medication as he struggled to book a GP appointment.

Jamie Chapman's home in Carmelite Way was searched by police in relation to another matter on November 14, 2023.

During the sweep, officers found 5.6g of "herbal matter" he accepted was cannabis.

The 34-year-old claimed he had been using the drug to manage his mental and physical ailments, Salisbury Magistrates' Court heard on April 26.

Moses Tawo, mitigating, said Chapman suffers from "depression and anxiety to name a few" and had been finding it hard to book an appointment with his GP when the offence took place.

"Faced with that difficulty, he unfortunately decided to dabble into cannabis which to be fair to him alleviated his pain on one hand but it was an illegal way of doing so," Mr Tawo told the court.

“When arrested, he made much more persistent efforts with his GP. He is very keen that his use was not just for recreation, it was to address medical difficulties."

Magistrates sentenced Chapman to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay a £26 surcharge to fund victim services.