Jail for man who smoked vape containing drugs, had chocolates laced with psychedelic mushrooms
His lawyer said he took the drugs to manage post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, but the prosecutor said medical reasons were not a mitigating factor.
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SINGAPORE: An American man found to have a vape that contained drugs and chocolates laced with psychedelic mushrooms was jailed for more than a year on Thursday (Jan 22).
Harting Chitty Harold Ivan, 36, pleaded guilty to one count each of drug consumption and possession. Four other drug-related charges were taken into consideration.
The court heard that on Apr 16, 2025, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers intercepted a parcel from overseas that was suspected to contain drugs.
The parcel, addressed to Harting's residence, contained several vapes as well as other items like creatine gummies, cookies and chocolate. The vapes were placed inside a white shirt that was wrapped in plastic packaging.
Later that day, CNB officers visited Harting's home, where they seized a vape and three chocolate bars, and arrested him.
The vape was found to contain a viscous substance containing tetrahydrocannabinol, a Class A controlled drug and the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis plants that produces a "high".
Harting, a human resources manager at the time, had received the vape from overseas in January 2025.
He smoked it whenever he felt stressed, Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Yong Ngee told the court.
His urine samples tested positive for a derivative of cannabinol, and investigations revealed that he had smoked the vape containing the drug sometime before his arrest.
As for the chocolates, they were found to contain psilocin, according to charge sheets. This is a psychoactive compound found in most psychedelic mushrooms.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Hong Qibin argued that Harting had taken the drugs "not for leisure" but to manage his medical conditions, namely post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder.
Mr Hong stressed that Harting had since sought help from a clinic and Narcotics Anonymous to stay drug-free.
He also pointed to character references attesting to Harting's responsible nature and to how his offence was out of character.
In response, the prosecution said medical reasons could not be accepted as a mitigating factor for taking controlled drugs.
Seeking 13 months’ jail for Harting, Mr Goh said the drugs were outlawed in Singapore and that there were alternative treatments he could have turned to.
The character references were also not mitigating "because we are not in the business of moral accounting", said the prosecutor.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw noted that Harting was a "casual drug abuser" and that his possession of drugs was not a one-off incident.
The judge agreed with the prosecution on the need for an increase to the mandatory minimum sentence of 12 months for consuming drugs, as Harting had additional charges taken into consideration.
After considering the circumstances leading to Harting's addiction to drugs, as laid out in his mitigation plea, Judge Lim sentenced him to 12 months and two weeks' jail.
The punishment for consuming drugs is one year to 10 years' jail, a fine of up to S$20,000 (US$16,000) or both penalties.
The maximum punishment for possessing a controlled drug is 10 years in jail, a fine of S$20,000 or both penalties.
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