Canadian judge Pierre Chevalier calls marijuana laws 'obsolete and ridiculous' as he awards a symbolic $1.30 fine

The Quebec judge said it was time to legalise the drug as people had been using it as a 'natural medicine' for centuries

Researchers believe it is the first time scientists have proven it is possible to identify chronic marijuana use from brain activity following visible cues (Getty)

A judge in the Canadian province of Quebec has called laws governing cannabis "obsolete and ridiculous" as he handed a $1.30 penalty to a man sentenced for possession.

Judge Pierre Chevalier issue the symbolic fine to 46-year-old Mario Larouche, who had been found with 30 marijuana plants.

Larouche said he was in pain after a road accident and was unable to get a legitimate prescription for medical marijuana.

The prosecution had originally demanded he be sentenced to 90 days in prison and a $250 fine, according to Canadian newspaper Le Droit.

Judge Chevalier said: "If (Larouche) had a responsible doctor, he would probably have his prescription and he wouldn’t be here today.

"This is everything wrong with this system - you don’t have access to a natural medicine which has been used for centuries, millennia."

He called on the new government led by Justin Trudeau to legalise the drug.

He said: "We are in a society where people are accused of possession and use of marijuana - despite more than half the population having consumed it. These are laws that are obsolete and ridiculous.

"I think it is time we looked much more leniently at this."