Judge rejects man’s religious marijuana claim

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Robert George Henry told a Pennsylvania judge April 16 that smoking marijuana is vital to his efforts to connect with God.

"The first thing I do every day is smoke a little bit of cannabis and say my prayers," said Henry, 48, of Fannettsburg, Pa. "I’ve come to the belief that smoking cannabis helps me commune with my Lord and understand what he wants me to do with my life."

His argument quickly went up in smoke.

Ten seconds after Henry finished testifying, Judge Edgar B. Bayley dismissed a motion Henry filed seeking to avoid prosecution on drunken driving and drug-possession charges on religious grounds. A full trial is now scheduled for May.

State police said Henry was intoxicated and was driving a car loaded with freshly harvested marijuana last October. He also had more than $1,800 in cash, they said.