The nose knows! Celebrity stoner Snoop Dogg was arrested in Texas after border patrol agents and drug sniffing dogs found marijuana and pot smoker paraphernalia on his tour bus. Rather than pointing fingers at any one member of his posse, Snoop stepped up and claimed the items as his. His court date is rumored to be January 20th where he will begin the process of standing trial. Since he has a medical marijuana card that allows him to legally smoke pot, will he be convicted?
Celebrity stoners are always in the news for making stupid decisions about when and where to smoke pot — even if they have a medical prescription to do it. Rap music singer Snoop Dogg is facing what local authorities are calling a minor drug charge in Texas after the state’s border patrol agents report they found several marijuana cigarettes on the celeb’s tour bus. But what gave them the right to search it? That’s an easy answer. The policemen had probable cause to search the vehicle because they claim they smelled it.
Just a few short days after Snoop Dogg did a good deed for charity, “Hudspeth County sheriff’s office said in a statement that Snoop Dogg, whose name is Calvin Broadus, was arrested Saturday at the Sierra Blanca highway checkpoint and cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor typical in cases involving small amounts of marijuana…” said the Associated Press.
The pop culture icon was one of the special celebrity guests earning money for charity on the CBS network The Price is Right, the show hosted by funny man Drew Carey [formerly hosted by pet-friendly animal rights activist Bob Barker]. Since no good deed goes unpunished, hearing he was arrested rather than released on his own recognizance is a total bummer.
According to the local Texas sheriff’s office, when one of their border patrol agents claimed they smelled what can only be described as marijuana smoke emanating from the rapper’s bus, they had the legal right to order everyone off the bus so that a trained drug sniffing dog could inspect the vehicle.
Now granted, the smell-o-meter claim can’t be proved, but police officers who believe in the fight against the war on drugs often use their nose to claim they know there are drugs present.
And, you can’t really blame the border agent. After all, if you were a betting person, wouldn’t you peg Snoop Dogg as a pot smoker? If you did not know who e is, it would take you about 15 seconds to look him up on the internet and see that he is one of Hollywood’s biggest marijuana use advocates.
The AP report claims, “A prescription bottle with several marijuana cigarettes was found in a trashcan, and more marijuana was found in two other containers. In all, 0.13 pounds of the drug were found.”
According to the news source, “[Snoop] admitted the drug was his and was released, the sheriff’s office said.”
During celebrity interviews in the past, the famous rapper claimed he needs to smoke weed for medical reasons. He says he has a license to use medical marijuana in his home state of California because he suffers from migraine headaches and has blurred vision when he’s not allowed to regularly smoke it. However, his prescription and license to use does not extend to other states, transporting marijuana over state lines, or to even have the paraphernalia with residue on it.
Reuters further reports, “In 2008, Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson collaborated on the song and music video “My Medicine,” a thinly veiled homage to marijuana. Both artists have made their appreciation of pot an important part of their public personas.” Both star celebs are huge advocates for the movement to legalize marijuana to help improve the general health of all Americans while reducing prison overcrowding caused by incarcerating otherwise peaceful people on trumped up pot charges.
Will Snoop Dogg be convicted on the misdemeanor charges? Marijuana lawyers say fo’ shizzle. Since he’s already claimed the drugs and paraphernalia as his own, he may plea the charges down considerably, but it is unlikely his record will be completely cleared of it.