Country Singer Willie Nelson, 77, was arrested and charged for pot possession in Texas at a border patrol stop. Cops allegedly found 6 ounces of marijuana on Nelson’s tour bus, and he is said to have admitted it was his. Nelson was carted away to the county jail, where he was freed on $2,500 bail. If he’s convicted, Nelson faces a minimum of six months in jail! The county sheriff seems to relish the though, and told the El Paso Times that if Nelson ends up in his jail he’s going to be treated the same as any other inmate.
Country-music legend Willie Nelson was arrested Friday in Texas and charged with marijuana possession after police allegedly found six ounces of marijuana on his tour bus.
The bus was stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, east of El Paso, reports the El Paso Times. He posted bond and was released.
Nelson, 77, was headed from California to Austin, where he owns a ranch.
Nelson could face a minimum of six months in prison if convicted. Hudspeth County sheriff Arvin West told the El Paso Times that Nelson would be treated like any inmate if incarcerated in his jail.
“He could get 180 days in county jail, which if he does, I’m going to make him cook and clean,” West said. “He can wear the stripy uniforms just like the other ones do.”
TMZ.com reported that Nelson could argue that he forgot the marijuana was on the bus when he left California, where medical marijuana is legal.
[From People]
I thought this guy was at least 10 years younger. It must be all the herb keeping him young. I hope that Nelson gets off on a technicality. 1/2 pound 7 ounces of pot is a huge amount, and chances are high (haha) that it wasn’t just Nelson’s and that he’s taking the fall for his entire crew. Nelson is a longtime supporter of medical marijuana, and marijuana legalization. It doesn’t make sense that pot hasn’t been at least decriminalized in the US. Let’s hope that this kind peace-loving old legend is in no way made an example of.
He’s 77, wow, leave the guy alone. Jail would be ridiculous.
I kinda hope he gets off, just because.
And yeah, he probably took the fall for everyone.
You need eight ounces for a half-pound of pot. We are good at this kind of math in B.C.
Also, six months is a harsh sentence. Sucks to be him.
Lady D I feel so stupid, I will take that part out!
It’s ridiculous this stuff isn’t decriminalized at the very least. I’m from BC too.
this is crazy 6 months for some pot please .he never hurt anyone or got stupid with anyone . just let him be . love his music
I was under the impression that he copped to personal possession without the intent to distribute, which is a misdemeanor. Plus we have @$$hole celebrities who get busted down with coke, hitting people with their cars and other more serious debacles every day who never even see the inside of a jail despite the county coming forward with the same ‘no special treatment’ lip service; I doubt he’ll get any time and sincerely hope that’s the case.
I didn’t realize that jail garb was still “stripy uniforms”. Is old Willie going to put on the line digging ditches too? This sounds dumb, but maybe I’m completely wrong about how the correctional system works nowadays.
You’d think that he’d be better at hiding his dope after all these years!!! Hope he doesn’t have to do jail. I agree pot should be decriminalized.
Horrible! Free Willy!
WWWIIIIILLLLLIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, just had to scream his name! He’s so cool.
Leave Willie ALONE!
Wow! The border patrol has arrested a 77 year old icon. I feel so much safer now.
Please! The man is 77. If he wants to smoke weed, he should be able to without being crucified by Sheriff Beuford T. Justice. Leave him alone. The IRS already screwed him twenty years ago. Can’t you find someone else to harrass, like the illegals crossing the border on a daily basis?
The cop was being a lazy A-hole by pulling him over aren’t there any real criminals in Texas? He should be left alone.
gotta watch out for them nice pot smoking folks, them munchies can be dangerous
Talk about shooting fish in a barrel. On the other hand, if he were to go in for 6 months that might cause enough uproar to propel legalization along. I bet that’s a cause worthy enough for Willie to consider it.
i’m ashamed to be from texas for a few reasons, but i won’t get into politics here!
pot should be decriminalized in the US. we’ve got plenty of real crime here that needs attention and a better portion of the police budget.
texas could use the money wasted on enforcing MJ laws to take care of their backlog of rape kits.
It’s more about bringing revenue into the county than anything else. The sheriff ought to come down off his high (*heh*) horse and admit that.
Such bullshit.
haha lady d! so true. its the same out west. moving from ca to tx was a twilight zone moment. it really gets my goat that weed is illegal. it makes no sense to me (yes, i get the whole taxation excuse, but i find that an excuse). i hope willy gets a pass. the bible belt can be a dirty place for free loving tree huggers. its one of the top grown agricultural products through out the south, youd think the people in charge would except this and open its arms to weed. its a great way for money to come into the state.
Come on…leave him alone. He’s not hurting anyone. He just wants to get his buzz on.
FREE WILLY!!!
That is BS, I can understand arresting him because technically it is a crime (although it shouldn’t be!!) but 6 months in jail for a 77 year old music icon? Ugh.
I hear that Texas law enforcement are on a huge campaign to cleanse the state of other menacing figures. On December 24, they plan on busting another old man, at least as dangerous as Willie is to the public safety. There’s this guy who disguises himself in a red suit and white beard and breaks into thousands of houses in one night – he’s as good as toast, and Texas will be safe once again.
“take care of their backlog of rape kits” I read this comment and then flipped back to the CB homepage. I was back here 3 seconds later, rereading that comment. That sentence is horrific, like really horrific. They are worried about pot smokers and they have a backlog of rape kits? (Shooting fish in a barrel indeed) I have never heard of a backlog of rape cases. I am utterly dumbfounded that this backlog happened in the first place. I’m off to check B.C. stats. I can’t believe this situation exists. I’m kinda looking forward to the day I can grow up and stop being so naive. I think.
Know what pisses me off? In my ‘Gender and Legal Studies’ class my prof told us that in the States men could get longer sentences for possession of pot than sexual assault. Add THAT to the blacklog of rape kits! WTF?
Also this guy is 77, he probably smokes for his arthritis lol. Just let him go. In Canada this wouldn’t be such a big deal.
I wonder how much all this investigation, processing, court costs, etc. is going to cost the taxpayer.
And the horizon is littered with politicians who tell us they intend to stop reckless and unnecessary spending.
Whatever.
Wow, REALLY EVERYONE? I read all these comments bitching about how Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton gets treated special for being a celebrity, but all I see on this page are people saying he shouldn’t do the time cause “he’s a music icon!” “he’s old!” “his music is great!”
We would not be saying the same thing if this were Kanye West, paris Hilton, or anyone else.
No matter what his feelings are, the law in Texas is the law in Texas, therefore he should do the time. Most likely he is going to do it in order to follow Martin Luther King’s thoughts on disobeying “unjust laws” and do the time without complaint to set an example.
Houston specifically has a backlog. There are organizations like “Joyful Heart” that tries to bring attention to the backlog and drug policy folks talk about it to illustrate that resources could be better spent elsewhere.
There was a Law & Order: SVU episode this season that focused on the nationwide issue and bring attention to the kit backlogs… where Benson could have solved multiple cases but by the time backlogged kits were tested the statute of limitations had passed.
I’d rather see WILLIE let free then a LOHAN any day!
They need to just decriminalize pot already. Geeze.
This is rediculous. Pot should be legalized, it’s no worse than drinking.
Can’t he use the Paris Hilton defense…it isn’t my bus….no wait it’s my bus but somebody borrowed it and left their pot in there.
I’m not the Lone Ranger, well… I might be on this thread but I want Willie to be treated like any other Texan (black, brown, gay, or straight) who is busted for pot. Yes, I like Willie and I think he is an American Icon but I want equal justice under the law more than anything. It’s something Willie wants as well, only this time he’s on the dirty end of it. He’ll be fine.
@ Kristin…I couldn’t agree with you more…it’s hypocrisy at it’s best. People want to pick who gets special treatment and who does not get special treatment based on whether or not they personally like person…and this is why the legal system in the US in messed up now.
Why should he not serve his sentence? Oh yeah, because some of you like his music. Marijuana is illegal for a reason…some people can handle it and other people can’t and the US isn’t ready for the can of worms that denying some and approving others would cause.
FREE WILLIE!!!!
This is when you see how ridiculous not legalizing marijuana is. A mellow, non violent, senior citizen memeber of society enjoys it – big deal!
Better throw the book at him but just give DUI offenders a fine & some classes!!!!!
Pharmaceutical companies are the ones who should be thrown in jail for all the “legal” drugs they get people hooked on and the feds (who are being paid by the pharamacuetical co’s) say Oh its ok – its legal.
Its become a huge joke and Americans arent falling for it anymore. Legalize it.
@Kristin
Lindsay and Paris were both caught with cocaine a serious narcotic big difference. Lindsay was driving and attacking someone while she was under the influence when the cop “mistakenly” ruined the evidence.
Willy Nelson has been open about his pot use for decades in fact he tells the story about smoking pot on the roof of the White House back when he was invited for a show in the 70’s. He has never hurt anyone, never been caught driving under the influence and if the cops wanted to arrest him for possesion they have had years to do it. And by the way although I like a couple of his songs I am by no means a huge country fan. I just have respect for Willy Nelson. As for Texas I don’t want to insult anyone from that state but their legal system is really f–d up.
What? Oh puhleez, everyone knows Willie fires up a joint every now and then. If the Texas “tough on crime” justice system (?) has to punish him (RIDICULOUS!!), have him do community service and play a benefit concert for farms or kids or something like that (much more useful to society than putting Willie in jail!). Or, why not consider medical marijuana as a treatment for old age? (Remember Grandpa Alan Arkin and his habit in “Little Miss Sunshine”?)
Marijuana is illegal for a reason…some people can handle it and other people can’t and the US isn’t ready for the can of worms that denying some and approving others would cause.
Wrong. Marijuana is illegal for many reasons, but the 1st & original reason is because the government wanted a reason to bust Mexican immigrants back in the ‘Teens & ’20s. Another reason is because the gov’t couldn’t regulate it because it literally is a weed & can grow (almost) anywhere. There are also taxation issues. Under federal law, one can legally sell it if one has the proper federal tax stamp.
Read “Reefer Madness” by Eric Schlosser for a good, easily digestible history of marijuana in the US.
If they give Willie time when Paris had none for coke we might as well all move to china and wait for the missle to hit us.
The sarcastic and frivolous comments and jokes about legalizing pot are a slap in the face to every single person in this country who is serving time and has had his or her life or future destroyed by being incarcerated for personal possession.
Pot possession is no joke, nor is smoking it in public in the US where you risk arrest in most places. Just ask everyone in prison and jail who found out what a joke it isn’t.
The fact is that right now it is illegal in most places in the US to possess marijuana. It’s not a joke, it’s a crime. It can ruin your life to get busted for having half a pound.
@sara I am sorry but I don’t understand your logic. If people support legalization how is that a slap in the face to people who possesed pot? I don’t think they should be in jail, and when the referendum came up in my state I voted to legalize it (eventhough I haven’t smoked in years). If people are in jail only because they got caught with weed that’s tragic. BTW in my state as in many others if you are caught with a small amount you end up with a ticket and paying a fine.
EDIT: and btw just because you don’t agree with marijuanna legalization that doesn’t mean the posters are sarcastic or frivoulous it’s just an opinion.
Poor Willie 🙁
Marijuana should be legalized. I could go over the arguments here, but everyone should really do their own research on this topic. Why? Because the arguments against marijuana are based on ignorance and misinformation; they are easily debunked and refuted by science. Educate yourself on the verifiable facts and I guarantee you’ll come down on the side of legalization.
I’m for Willie all the way. Hope he gets some justice and the charges are dropped.
#40 MLN, you beat me and said it better as far as a response to #39.
There is also a very large racial and income disparity for those that are actually profiled and incarcerated, so it’s a shame on many levels the amount of folks incarcerated for small possession offenses.
The NAACP put out a report in early November with charts, facts and figures showing how unfairly marijuana possession arrests are handled.
I think at most a person should just be given a fine/ticket for possession of weed.. I just don’t think it should be a crime.. At any rate.. Free Willie.
I was under the impression that he copped to personal possession without the intent to distribute, which is a misdemeanor. Plus we have @$$hole celebrities who get busted down with coke, hitting people with their cars and other more serious debacles every day who never even see the inside of a jail despite the county coming forward with the same ‘no special treatment’ lip service; I doubt he’ll get any time and sincerely hope that’s the case
===============
Hear Hear
@ lena80
“Marijuana is illegal for a reason…some people can handle it and other people can’t and the US isn’t ready for the can of worms that denying some and approving others would cause. ”
You, along with countless others are wrong. This has nothing to do with why marijuana is illegal. Why don’t you and all the other misinformed individuals do your research on this herb before you comment, just a suggestion.
Leave Willie Alone!
He’s 77 years old & an American icon — let him have his pot for the love of cheese!
I am in BC as well, I cant get over this story, here u would get a slap if that. I work around law enforcement and I would rather approach a bunch of stoned people rather than drunk ones!
Texas used to have tough cops who went after criminals. Guess they have gotten soft and hound old men who do no harm.
@Lucy – I think jail outfits are different for each state. I know in Arkansas the felons wear grey and white stripes and the misdemeanors where orange.
I love Willie Nelson!!!
@mln and bohdi- i totaly agree. thank you
@ sara ~ Why don’t you provide some back up information instead of harshing all over people? Just a suggestion.
I am all for the decriminalization of marijuana & revision of all drug laws & sentencing guidelines, but people need to be persuaded by facts instead of rancor.
Have SO much respect for this guy. Just keeps to himself and never hurts anybody. Never tries to abuse or exploit his celebrity, and you never hear him ask for special treatment. Just lives a quiet life and is always honest about who he is. Seriously classy guy.
@ lena80
“Marijuana is illegal for a reason…some people can handle it and other people can’t”
True. Much like alcohol. Which, last I checked, is legal.
Really, this is a waste of time. I half agree with some posters talking about not being able to pick and choose which celebrities “deserve” jail time. I don’t think Willie Nelson should be kept out of jail because he’s an American icon. He should be kept out of jail because this is a ridiculous law. I’m not going to passionately argue for pot (it’s too easy to get anyways, but no snark intended for people who do feel very passionately about this subject). I just think there are more important crimes to focus on.
Peoples’ ability or inability to “handle” pot is not one of the many reasons it is illegal.
And yes, there are far FAR more important crimes that need attention
Another BCer here, and I’m pretty sure that 6 ounces would get you nailed for possession with intent. I could be wrong on that.
For interest’s sake the book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” explains the Hearst campaign that helped criminalize it in the States.
I see no reason why it shouldn’t be legalised. I’ve never heard of anyone getting aggressive when stoned, like so many drunk people. I usually just giggle a lot and get kinda sleepy. And it’s not like making it legal will make it legal to drive while stoned, so what’s the problem?
Even if pot isn’t legalized, it should be legalized just for Willie Nelson. He’s not going to hurt anybody by driving high or anything.
I hope he gets off totally.
Another BC girl here. It’s not uncommon for people to buy up to a pound of weed at a time. Similar to buying a couple of cases of wine. It’s just the way we roll..
Willie Nelson is fondly admired around Austin and South Texas. Back in 2002, he did a charity concert for the New Braunfels flood victims who lost their homes. He’s generally a nice guy who doesn’t flaunt the pot usage but he doesn’t really hide it either.
So I don’t think he deserves to get away without any consequences, but a fine or community service ought to be enough, unless they decide to make some sort of example of a 77 year old senior who clearly wasn’t driving or bothering anyone. Maybe he can get some kind of house arrest or something? That’s probably why he took the heat, because he can afford a decent legal defense and didn’t want anyone else to get in trouble for it.
I think any drug possession case–if there is no clear intent to distribute SHOULD be a fine, at most. Don’t care if it’s Willie or Paris or Lindsay. Waste of police time, whatever the drug. I do, however, think that Lindsay and Paris need to be better prosecuted for disregarding their sentences, probation, etc. Logically speaking, there should be no greater crime than violating a court order, as it is a direct insult to the justice system.
But whoever said “fish in a barrel”? Hah no kidding. Some *sshole was just waiting for the bus to roll up. Some pathetic *sshole.
Right on # 60.
@#57: my sister and her husband were killed by a driver impaired under the influence of pot. It affects everyone differently. Now my family and my sisters kids are hurt and scared forever. That’s the problem. Legalizing it = more high people behind the wheel.
This is ridiculous. He’s 77 years old, for Pete’s sake!
@ Dana M: I’m so sorry to hear that. It should never be legal to drive under any influence.
But I have to disagree with you: I don’t think that legalization will automatically lead to more stoned people behind the wheel. There are those responsible individuals who never would drive stoned/drunk, and then there are those who are irresponsible just by nature (by which I mean: stupidity). People don’t change because of a law.
be sure and put ‘texting’ in there with dangerous driving diversions along with alcohol and pot. and PLEASE spell his name correctly :
IT’S WILLIE
not willy
We texans know this
Let the man smoke his weed!! Ain’t that a bitch, he’ll probably end up serving more time than Lindsay Lohan