JUDGE REJECTS RASTAFARIAN RELIGION PLEA IN MARIJUANA CASE

NEW LONDON, Conn. - A Norwich man's religious belief was not enough
to convince a judge to reduce his jail time for marijuana possession.

Vernon Smith, 43, is a Rastafarian who believes his use of pot is a
God-given right. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of
marijuana with intent to sell after police found him with more than 20
pounds of the drug in July.

In New London Superior Court on Nov. 15, Smith's lawyer argued
unsuccessfully for a reduced sentence. Prosecutors successfully sought
a term of 2.5 years in prison and three years probation.

Smith, who appeared before Judge Susan B. Handy in a white robe and
headwrap, said he tries to set a good example and that he follows the
Ten Commandments. He does not consider himself a criminal, he said.

"I know that the law is such in this country, but I feel one day the
law will change, especially with people who indulge in marijuana and
are not violent," Smith said. He knows many people who use marijuana
to relax and meditate, he said.

Rastafarians worship as a living god Ethiopia's last emperor, Haile
Selassie, who died in 1975. They preach unity with nature and smoke
marijuana as a sacrament.

Smith, who is from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and is a stay-at-home
father of seven children while his wife works, supplements his income
by selling marijuana, said his lawyer, Ronald Stevens. He does not
sell to children, Stevens said.

"Mr. Smith firmly believes in his heart of hearts and in his religious
and cultural convictions that marijuana is part of his human rights,"
Stevens said. "He wants to fight the good fight for the legalization
of marijuana."

Prosecutor John P. Gravalec-Pannone said the General Assembly is
responsible for changing state law. And his experience shows that
buying and selling marijuana - and its potency when mixed with
other substances - leads to violent crimes, he said.

"The law is the law," Gravalec-Pannone said.