POT GROWER JAILED DESPITE FINDING RELIGION

God bless you," a man told the judge as he was led away on Wednesday
to begin a jail term for growing marijuana.

Robert Lovelace, 37, of the Red Deer area, was sentenced to a
nine-month term after pleading guilty to growing 47 marijuana plants.

Defence lawyer Bruce Buckley told provincial court Judge Thomas
Schollie that Lovelace started growing the pot more than a year ago
to combat a painful back injury.

Buckley said Lovelace smoked grass virtually every waking hour, which
is why he had so much.

Buckley said Lovelace's life had hit rock bottom" because of the pain
and marijuana use.

He said Lovelace attempted to apply to the federal government to
obtain an exemption to grow the pot but abandoned the idea.

Lovelace had been charged with growing pot for the purpose of
trafficking but that was reduced by the Crown to cultivation.

Federal Crown prosecutor Dave Inglis said Lovelace turned himself
into RCMP and said he was growing the pot and wanted to stop.

Inglis said an expert at a trial could testify that amount of grass
would probably be used for sale.

Buckley said his client has taken considerable drug rehabilitation
steps including turning to religion since he turned himself in.

Court heard Lovelace had convictions in 1995 and 2002 for trafficking
in narcotics. He was given a conditional sentence on the 2002
conviction and a 90-day sentence on the 1995 charge.

Schollie said he couldn't give Lovelace another conditional sentence
because of his past record.

Inglis said a nine-to 12-month sentence would suffice.

Schollie said he was impressed by the steps Lovelace has taken to
turn his life around, but he's now paying the price for his old life.

His new life, the judge said, will start when his time is served.