A man from a "good military family" was granted bail after police allegedly found almost half a kilogram of cannabis in his car.
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Jeffrey Antonio, of Wyndham Vale, was intercepted by police on Old Melbourne Road near Ballan about 3.45am Saturday.
According to police, he allegedly had red eyes and there was a strong smell of cannabis - Antonio told police he'd just dropped a friend off.
A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a 451 gram silver bag of cannabis and an empty silver bag with scales and $680 cash in his backpack, a ziplock bag with .36 grams of methamphetamine, ziplock bags of dry cannabis and seeds, and another bag of "only the leaf, not the bud".
Antonio was arrested and interviewed, where he stated he was not selling drugs to support his habit, and he allegedly possessed cannabis "for (himself), I'm dependent", while the meth was a "one-off, to get things done".
He denied trafficking, but said "I might share, that's it".
Antonio also faces serious family violence charges for allegedly threatening to kill his family and shoving his father-in-law in 2020.
His defence lawyer said Antonio had been found suitable for the Court Integrated Support Program, and called his mother to give evidence.
His mother said Antonio would be allowed to live with them in Wyndham Vale, and she would inform police if he breached any bail conditions.
"All I want is for Jeffrey to get the help he needs to get better, however that has to get done," she told the court.
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"I can't do it, we can't do it, we've tried, this is what it's coming to.
"I think it's time tough love came into play."
Magistrate Ron Saines said the combination of supporting factors meant he could approve bail, particularly given there was no certainty any sentence would include more time in custody.
"To detain a person in custody for potentially a long period of time when prison's not a certainty is a significant matter and could produce an injustice, which should be avoided if possible," he said.
Antonio returns to court September 16.
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