A 57-year-old man decided to grow his own cannabis because he couldn't afford to pay drug dealers.

On Thursday at Alloa Sheriff Court, James Quinn admitted producing the controlled Class B drug and having herbal cannabis in his possession at his home address in Beechwood, Sauchie, on February 9 this year.

Fiscal depute Ann Orr told the court that police officers executed a search warrant and recovered 28 mature cannabis plants and further seedlings in Quinn's loft, which had been set up for cultivation.

Ms Orr stated that the plants and seedlings were worth an estimated street value of £10,500.

Tins and tubs filled with herbal cannabis worth between £30-40 were also recovered in the accused's living room. He was thereafter arrested.

Defending, Claire McCarron claimed that her client was using a lot of cannabis to relieve physical and mental health difficulties.

His drug use had become so much, he could not afford to continue buying from dealers so researched how to grow his own.

Ms McCarron stated that the wholesale value of the drugs recovered were around £7,500 and were solely for Quinn's own use.

The accused has accepted responsibility for his actions, and has engaged with mental health services to combat his social anxiety problem.

Quinn has also used the support available from Signpost and has since tested negative for drugs.

Sheriff David Mackie noted that there was no suggestion Quinn was supplying drugs, telling him: "A custodial sentence is not the answer."

Quinn was sentenced to a Community Payback Order with supervision for 12 months.