Court not swayed by religion in ganja case

LANSING, Michigan (AP):

A federal appeals court has found nothing heavenly about a Michigan's man claim to have a religious right to grow pot.

The court last Thursday upheld an 18-month prison sentence for Brendan Barnes. In 2014, Lansing authorities responding to a gas leak found 321 plants at his house. Police found more marijuana at another house in Marshall.

Barnes claimed that he was growing marijuana under a religious exemption from the Oklevueha Native American Church. He said that he paid $25 for a membership card and $200 to possess sacraments.

But the appeals court says Barnes' belief in marijuana appears to be a personal one, not one rooted in religion. The court says there's no requirement that he grow marijuana or donate it to the church.