BY PHIL TREXLER
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Well, he can always fall back on his outside job of Yoga instruction .
AKRON, Ohio - (KRT) - The Rev. Richard Arko offered his contrition Tuesday for growing marijuana inside his Norton, Ohio, church home.
His penance: two years probation.
Arko, 40, told Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove that the 35 marijuana plants growing in his church home were primarily for medical use.
Arko requested a leave of absence from the diocese and he said in court that his return to the priesthood is unlikely.
Dressed in a tie and suit, Arko apologized to parishioners and his family for his arrest and took a jab at the media and the Cleveland Catholic Diocese for failing to give him a fair hearing.
He said he prays for the day that the state of Ohio recognizes the positive uses of marijuana.
"I strongly believe in the benefits of marijuana and the use for medical purposes. It's very helpful to many people," he said.
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