MAN CONVICTED IN FIRST MEDICINAL-POT TRIAL

A man who said his Vietnam War experiences caused him to begin using
marijuana was convicted of pot cultivation and possession in a case that
included actor Woody Harrelson as a defense witness.

Attorneys for B.E. Smith, 52, said after the verdict Friday that they would
appeal the decision.

The case is believed to be the first criminal marijuana trial in a
California federal court involving a medicinal claim since passage of
California's medical marijuana law in 1996.

That law allows people to grow marijuana for personal use if they have
medical authorization. Growers generally must have a terminal illness or no
alternative remedy for an ailment.

Federal prosecutors said Smith did not meet the medical authorization
standards, and noted that Smith's prescription was written by a
chiropractor. They also said federal law, which supersedes state law,
prohibits prescriptions for marijuana.