MAN CARRYING ONLY HERBS CHARGED WITH DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- George Singleton was driving from California, where
he was working with inner-city gangs, back to his organic farm in Vermont
when an Oklahoma state trooper pulled him over.

Trooper Alvin Lavender told him he was speeding and weaving, Singleton says.
A bag of what looked like marijuana was seized. Singleton, 49, was jailed on
suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.

But his blood tests for intoxicating substances came back negative. And the
marijuana turned out to be organically grown rosemary and mullein, common
herbs that Singleton said he uses to treat his tuberculosis.

He was never charged with speeding or a drug offense after the stop in
February, though he still faces a court date Thursday in Oklahoma.

The charge: driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance. This
despite the tests showing no intoxicating substance in his blood.

"He's not guilty of anything but being black and having ... dreadlocks and
driving in Oklahoma," said his lawyer, Jim Hadley of Vinita, Okla.

Singleton said he is convinced he was pulled over because he fit the
"profile" of a drug suspect.

Gene Haynes, the district attorney in Craig County, Okla., acknowledged, "It
is an unusual case because of the fact that we don't have proof of any
illegal substance." But he told the Tulsa World, "We're continuing to pursue
it because we feel he was under some type of influence that rendered him a
danger on the roadway."

The trooper reported that Singleton was unsteady on his feet and had
bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

Singleton, 49, runs an organic farm in Dummerston. He helped found
Hope-LA-USA in 1992, a national group that tries to get teen-age gang
members involved in organic gardening. He also has an East Coast office.

After his arrest, Singleton spent 25 days in jail.

Singleton said that at one point, he was told he would be charged with
carrying "an imitation controlled substance," a crime under Oklahoma law.
But his lawyer said the authorities later decided that rosemary and mullein
would be a poor imitation.

Singleton said he brews the rosemary into tea and smokes the mullein, a tall
wildflower of the figwort family.

If convicted of driving under the influence, Singleton could get a year in
jail and a $1,000 fine. He is also accused of failing to display current
license tags.

Singleton's lawyer said the district attorney told him last week that the
state was willing to reduce the charge to careless driving, impose a $50
fine and court costs of less than $100. Hadley said he and Singleton weren't
buying.

"I'm not scared of dealing with fascist government people because that's all
I've been dealing with all my life," Singleton said. "This is normal for me.
This is the dark side of America."

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst