Montel Williams Detained at German Airport for Medical Marijuana

The former host of 'The Montel Williams Show' was briefly detained at an airport in Germany for medical marijuana possession.

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Complex Original

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Montel Williams, the former host of the long-running talk show The Montel Williams Show, was briefly detained by German customs officials Friday morning after accidentally leaving medical marijuana powder in his luggage. Williams was held briefly at the Frankfurt airport while on vacation, the Associated Pressreported.

In a statement released by Williams' spokesperson and political director, Jonathan Franks, it was revealed that Williams, 60, had been held while officials "verified the validity" of a multiple sclerosis prescription. Franks also clarified that Williams had not been arrested or cited, just briefly held by customs:

Williams later spoke out about the incident on Twitter, thanking German Ambassador Peter Wittig for handling the misunderstanding in a "kind" and "professional" manner:

As noted in Franks' statement on Williams' detainment, sensible medical marijuana policies would easily prevent future incidents of this nature. For example, according to recent polls, the vast majority of Americans have no issue with the widespread legalization of medical marijuana. A Quinnipiac University poll released in June found that nearly all U.S. voters supported medical marijuana legalization, with a whopping 89 percent saying yes to the legal green.

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