Deregistered Sydney doctor Andrew Katelaris has been released on bail after spending seven weeks behind bars on charges of supplying cannabis to children.
Katelaris, 62, was arrested following a police raid on his St Ives home in May last year.
The raid came days after he was profiled on national television, and was shown administering cannabis to children, and discussing his reasons for doing so.
He was granted bail just one day after his arrest, but remanded in custody on December 5.
On Wednesday, Katelaris, dubbed ‘Dr Pot’ for his keen interest in medicinal marijuana, appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre court, where he was again released on bail.
Deregistered doctor Andrew Katelaris has been released on bail after just seven weeks behind bars on charges of supplying cannabis to children
The news was conveyed to supporters through a social media video posted by Paul Robert Bunton, who works for the controversial Church of Ubuntu, where Katelaris has by his own admission provided cannabis to patients, including children, in the past.
Mr Bunton said the former doctor would need to report three times a week to police.
Katelaris has been charged with several different offences as a result of the May raid, including supply cannabis, possess prohibited drug, and possess proceeds of crime.’
The Sydney man previously worked as a surgeon in the north of Sydney before he was struck off the medical register in 2005 for providing cannabis to his friends and family.
The former doctor, often referred to as ‘Dr Pot’ for his pro-cannabis attitude, had his home raided just days after he was seen administering cannabis to children on national television, and defending the practice
Supporters who attended Sydney’s Downing Centre for Katelaris’ bail hearing say he will need to report to police three times a week
He was also convicted of growing nearly 50,000 cannabis plants, the ABC reported.
Katelaris was reported to police in 2016 after administering huge doses of cannabis oil to two 56-year-old women ovarian cancer in a method that had never been tried on humans.
Both women were left intoxicated by the drug for days after their treatment in 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time.
One was unable to continue her chemotherapy treatment as a result of the side-effects, and died just a few months later.
Katelaris will face trial later this year. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail.
Katelaris will face court again later this year. If he is convicted, he could face up to 20 years behind bars
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