Asians behaving badly... Professional athlete caught with pot edition! Tim Lincecum, star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, is facing charges of misdemeanor possession of marijuana after being stopped for speeding in Washington last week: Lincecum cited for having pot in his car.
Lincecum, the 2008 Cy Young Award winner, was stopped for speeding by a Washington State Patrol trooper on October 30 while driving on Interstate 5, four miles north of the Oregon state line. He was cited for driving 74 in a 60-mph zone.
The police report said the motorcycle officer who stopped Lincecum smelled marijuana in the car and asked him to produce any drugs that he had. Lincecum acknowledged that he did have drugs and opened the center console of his car, handing the officer a small pouch of marijuana and a pipe.
The amount was 3.3 grams, which is considered only enough for personal use. Lincecum did not appear to be impaired behind the wheel and is not being charged with a felony crime. He was cited and released, and is expected to arraigned November 23 in Clark County District Court.
In Washington, where Lincecum was born and raised, possessing less than 40 grams of marijuana is deemed personal use and a misdemeanor, with a maximum punishment of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Although Major League Baseball has a well-publicized policy for punishing users of performance-enhancing drugs, there are no provisions in the collective bargaining agreement for punishing players who are convicted of using drugs of abuse.
Looks like Lincecum, who made my list of the 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30 earlier this year, decided to have himself a good time in the off-season. I wonder if this hurts his chance of nabbing the NL Cy Young Award... More here: Lincecum cited for marijuana possession.
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