Rebel country icon Willie Nelson has been charged with drug possession in Louisiana.
Reuters reports that Louisiana Police stopped Nelson's tour bus on the morning of Monday September 18 for a routine inspection. Apparently the trooper smelt marijuana in the bus, which became fairly obvious when he uncovered one and a half pounds (700 grams) of the green stuff as well as 91 grams of psychedelic mushrooms.Nelson and four Texan passengers were cited for possession. Louisiana State Police spokesman Willie Williams said that Nelson and his compatriots were "no trouble whatsoever." Maybe they'd already had something to relax them. Either way, the 73-year old country renegade faces up to six months jail time and a fine.
Nelson has long been an advocate for the decriminalisation of marijuana. During the shooting of the Dukes Of Hazzard film, daredevil co-star Johnny Knoxville marvelled at Nelson's intake. He told Blender, "I honestly don't see how he functions - people pass out smoking that." So far, talk on Nelson's message board is overwhelmingly supportive of his actions.
Willie's next tour date is Farm Aid 2006 on September 30 in New Jersey.
