But Quintin Frances Corkery (37), who was jailed for three and a-half years in March last year, looks set to be released in June.
The Parole Board heard he had been accepted into a programme and would graduate from the drug treatment unit at Otago Corrections Facility in March.
Panel convener Selina Bailey said it made more sense to release Corkery directly into the hands of a rehabilitative programme rather than allowing him a spell of relative freedom now, during which a return to drug abuse would be most tempting.
At sentencing, the court heard how police first found a cannabis crop worth up to $43,000 at a Sidey St home, along with $7600 of growing paraphernalia.
They zeroed in on Corkery and intercepted his communications during which he lamented losing the use of the property and offered one associate $20,000 to take the blame.
When officers raided a Union St East flat on July 13, 2020, they hit the jackpot.
Every room of the home had been used for cultivation, including the roof cavity, the court heard.
In total there were 353 plants, which had a potential street value of nearly $500,000.
Corkery regularly discussed the cloning of mother plants and bragged of having 13 different breeds at the flat.
He also talked about storing the drugs in a mobile food caravan he owned and he sold more than $10,000 of the illicit substance in the seven months leading up to his arrest.
The kingpin had a man tending to the plants in Union St East and they were also paying a property manager an ounce of the class-C drug per week as rent.
The Parole Board heard Corkery started daily use of cannabis from the age of 13 and Ms Bailey said his habit was "deeply entrenched".
The prisoner said he had gained a lot from undergoing counselling while behind bars.
"When asked how he would deal with the possible temptation of future drug use when he was released into the community, he told the board that previously his life had been all about himself and dealing with his own issues. He now appreciated he had a lot of support people out there and it was essential to use support people and services," Ms Bailey said.
Corkery will see the board again in May.
