Holding the record for most sold hits in the Guinness Book of World Records, Paul McCartney was born to entertain, whether it was entertaining his fans consciously or unconsciously. McCartney was the instrumentalist, lead vocalist, and songwriter for the Beatles, and also a steady advocate for decriminalizing pot (formally known as marijuana). He even was a donor to the London Times advertisement that fought for the legalization of weed and the release of all inmates convicted of its possession.
On this day, January 16th, in 1980, Paul McCartney was arrested in Japan on drug related charges. The video of McCartney’s arrest shows the bag searcher’s surprised reaction to finding over a half a pound of pot in McCartney’s luggage. After nine days in Tokyo jail, McCartney was deported back to the U.S. and all his shows cancelled which totaled a lost of over $350,000.
McCartney was not a first time offender of the law; his Japanese bust was his third arrest and certainly was not his last. Four years later, McCartney was caught with pot at a villa resort in Barbados.