Magistrate Ron Saines fined the man $800 without conviction at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

He said he took into account the consequences of a drug possession conviction for employment and restricted travel into other countries in sparing him a conviction.

The 25-year-old from Ballarat was found smoking cannabis outside a pub in Warrnambool and in possession of cannabis and ecstasy in February 2020.

He was also charged with being drunk in a public place.

The man told the court he did not use drugs often, had learnt from his mistakes and was taking steps to ensure it did not happen again.

Mr Saines warned although these were low level drug offences, occasional drug use could quickly lead to serious involvement with the criminal justice system.

"If you spent enough time in court rooms you would see the massive destruction caused by drug use that often starts with occasional use," he said.

"Unfortunate events happen in people's lives and they end up within the criminal justice system because they turned to drugs to cope.

"These are things for you to think about."

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