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Attorney: Officer's wife needed marijuana for medical purposes

ATLANTA — An Atlanta police officer arrested for having marijuana says he needs the drug for his sick wife.

Officer Vincent Marcano patrolled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

He was arrested Saturday and charged with having less than an ounce of marijuana by the Fayetteville Police Department after a traffic stop at the corner of Summit Pointe and South Glynn Drive.

Fayetteville police said one of their officers pulled over Marcano's car because of a cracked windshield.

The officer said he looked inside and asked the driver what was in the car and said Marcano handed over a bag of marijuana.

"Unfortunately, his wife suffers from a very serious illness that causes her to have to smoke marijuana for medical purposes and to try and ease her pain. So this is not a matter of my client simply being in a possession of marijuana," attorney Jackie Patterson told Channel 2's Ryan Young.

The Police Department said Marcano will have to talk to APD Police Chief George Turner about the incident as well as face a judge on Tuesday.