Canadian English teacher nabbed growing pot in N Taiwan gets lighter sentence

Canadian English cram school teacher busted for growing pot in Taoyuan, handed reduced sentence for being 'conscientious'

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/05
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Canadian cram school teacher who teaches English and was arrested for growing marijuana at his home in northern Taiwan has been given a reduced sentence for being a "conscientious" teacher.

On Jan. 30, the teacher, surnamed Lee (李), 52, was arrested at his home in Taoyuan City's Longtan District, where police found 163 marijuana plants, 893 grams of dry cannabis, and related drug growing paraphernalia. Although the court considered Lee's drug-growing operation illegal, he was handed a commuted sentence of two years because his students, parents, and colleagues said he had a conscientious attitude and "valued teaching over making money."

According to the police investigation, Lee has lived in Taiwan for 10 years and spent many of those years living and teaching in Taoyuan. Lee claimed that because cannabis was legal in Canada, where it was formally legalized in 2018, he thought the same was true in Taiwan.

He claimed that in 2018, he ordered seeds, insecticides, and gardening tools on overseas websites. He said he then installed water pipes, electricity, plant growing racks, lights, and sprinklers, with his first harvest coming within four months.    [FULL  STORY]