NBA guard Alex Caruso made a name for himself in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, even winning the NBA title while playing there in 2020. This year, though he’s now an unrestricted free agent, he’s still in the headlines.
Those headlines are not for basketball, however. He was recently arrested in Texas while apparently trying to go through an airport with a small amount of marijuana.
An herb grinder led to an arrest for drug possession
Reports indicate that Caruso had an herb grinder in his luggage when he tried to get on a flight at Easterwood Airport. It is located in College Station, where Caruso grew up and where he played his college ball at Texas A&M. The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) checked his luggage, found the grinder, and determined that it had a small amount of marijuana inside it.
As such, they arrested him for possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana. The laws differ from state to state and so, while he may have been allowed to have a small amount in California or elsewhere, Texas still strictly holds marijuana to be illegal at this time. That said, Caruso did only get misdemeanor charges and was then released.
Adhering to the local cannabis laws can be tough
Marijuana laws have been changing all over the country. It’s easy for those who spend much of their time in one location, where it’s legal, to stop thinking of it as a controlled substance. But this story shows the importance of knowing and understanding all local laws when you travel. Those who do end up getting arrested also need to know what legal options they have.