Melissa Etheridge arrested for marijuana possession and smiles in mugshot

Border agents arrested singer Melissa Etheridge in August for marijuana possession at the US-Canadian border.

Her tour bus was crossing back into the United States via North Dakota when US Customs and Border Patrol stopped them. A A K-9 unit detected drugs and officers later found marijuana oil.

Authorities booked Etheridge for possession of a controlled substance and she pleaded not guilty. TMZ posted an exclusive photo of her mugshot, where she’s seen smiling from ear-to-ear.

In 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began using cannabis as a medicinal aid.

‘It was a wake-up call for me,’ she told Yahoo! News earlier this year. ‘When I used it as medicine, it became so clear to me that it has been maligned and misunderstood, and I really wanted to help people who are suffering.

‘I mean, going through chemotherapy is suffering… and cannabis helps so many parts of just that. That’s just the beginning of what it does medicinally.’

She is now cancer-free but still uses marijuana. Etheridge is also open about smoking at home and being candid with her children.

‘I’d much rather have a smoke with my grown kids than a drink,’ she commented.

She also continues to advocate for medical marijuana use and lessening stigma and fear around the plant.

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