Drugs & Alcohol

Aaron Rodgers made a huge push for the legalization of magical mushrooms and more on Wednesday night, insisting they have changed his life ... and could help alter many others too.

The New York Jets quarterback stumped for the hallucinogens for nearly an hour ... while giving a passionate speech on a stage at the Psychedelic Science 2023 conference in Denver.

He and his good pal Aubrey Marcus, who sat alongside the NFL star at the podium, glowed about their uses of psychedelics while addressing a big crowd ... and Rodgers repeated over and over again that everyone should have an open mind to the drugs.

"I know in Colorado that psilocybin has been decriminalized," Rodgers said. "Is it not ironic that the things that actually expand your mind are illegal and the things that keep you in the lower chakras and dumb you down have been legal for centuries?"

The 39-year-old -- who's been vocal in the past about his use of ayahuasca -- said, yet again, his trip on the psychedelic tea helped transform him from one of the league's best signal-callers back into an NFL MVP.

"It's going to be hard to cancel me," he said, "because, you know, the previous year, 26 touchdowns, four interceptions. We had a good season. Ayahuasca, 48 touchdowns five, interceptions, MVP. What are you going to say?"

Rodgers also ribbed his critics -- whom he referred to as "bums" -- saying they're the ones who need to try psychedelics the most.

As part of his speech, Rodgers also said he's heard from all kinds of athletes since he initially opened up about his ayahuasca use ... claiming everyone from basketball players to baseball players to surfers and entertainers have reached out to him to share their similar experiences.

Officials at the conference, meanwhile, praised Rodgers for showing up and speaking his mind ... with Rick Doblin, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' founder, telling the New York Post he expects it to all have a "massive impact" on relieving the stigma surrounding the drugs.

Afroman's learning a little ganja goes a long way in preventing you from crossing the Canadian border, where he got cited while trying to get back to the U.S. ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Palmdale rapper and his crew were detained Tuesday by U.S. Border Patrol officers while they were attempting to get back on American soil at a port of entry crossing over the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.

We're told they arrived at an inspection zone, where the feds found a ton of cash and some marijuana in their vehicle -- the bills totaled $10,000, but the bud was an insignificant personal amount.

Afroman tells TMZ ... he was on his way to a gig in NY when he was stopped at the border. He had given all his weed to his fans and housekeepers at his hotel but forgot about a bottle of cannabis pain lotion.

He says he was held for 5 hours at the border and fined $500 for the lotion -- and his DJ was also fined $500 for a small amount of cannabis gummies.

Law enforcement sources tell us the $10K was declared, and the weed was seized ... but nobody was arrested because it was such a small amount.

Bam Margera's son Phoenix is inspiring him to detox and sober up following a psych hold ... and his estranged wife is allowing him to talk to their kid again.

Nikki Margera's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... she's given the green light for Bam and Phoenix to start communicating, and they're talking over FaceTime while Bam's in rehab.

We're told Bam's FaceTime sessions with Phoenix are being modulated by one of Bam's therapists ... and, so far, things are going well.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Bam is still in treatment at one of Lamar Odom's rehab facilities, and Nikki is not talking to him on the FaceTime calls.

There's been a lot of bad blood between Bam and Nikki ever since she filed for legal separation, including a series of angry texts Bam recently sent her, so it's not a surprise she's staying off the calls.

Our sources say Bam usually dominates the FaceTime convos with 5-year-old Phoenix, with Dad typically going on for about 5 minutes.

Former "Days of Our Lives" star Cody Longo died from years of hard drinking ... according to the medical examiner.

Cody's autopsy report, obtained by TMZ, says the late actor's cause of death was "chronic ethanol abuse" ... and the report also notes the manner of death was natural.

What's more, the autopsy says Cody's body was decomposing when he was found dead ... and the death scene was littered with alcohol bottles.

TMZ broke the story ... in February, 34-year-old Cody was found dead in a bed at a residence in Austin, Texas.

Sadly, the autopsy results will not come as a shock to those who knew Cody -- his family previously told us he had struggled with alcohol abuse for years and went to rehab in the summer of 2022.

They already believed he had relapsed and that alcoholism ultimately killed him.

Bob Huggins was arrested for DUI in Pennsylvania -- and his bosses at West Virginia University are already well aware of it.

The WVU men's basketball HC was busted Friday night in Pittsburgh after cops observed a vehicle in the middle of a road with a flat tire -- which turned into a suspicious scene for Pittsburgh PD after they say they saw Huggins struggling mightily to get his car to the side of the road.

Suspecting he might be intoxicated, the officers initiated field sobriety tests ... which they say BH failed. At that point, they threw on the cuffs and hauled him to jail on suspicion of DUI.

WVU addressed his arrest, saying ... "West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh."

They add, "We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete." BTW, reports say the SUV he was driving was a lease ... courtesy of West Virginia University.

UFC star Jared Cannonier is turning over a new leaf -- literally -- telling TMZ Sports he's quit smoking weed for his upcoming main event fight with Marvin Vettori.

We talked to the 39-year-old "Killa Gorilla" just days before his UFC Fight Night scrap, going down Saturday night in Las Vegas, when Jared revealed the change in his lifestyle.

"For this camp I have abstained from smoking marijuana, so the clarity is there," Cannonier told us, explaining ... "More mental clarity for me. There is a physical aspect to it. You are putting foreign substances into you [body], especially your lungs."

And, because it's potentially a 25-minute scrap, Jared wants to be ready in the event he doesn't get an early stoppage.

"This is a 5-round fight, so I want to be able to push the pace for 5 hard rounds, make it 5 hard rounds for him, but just another 5 rounds for me," Cannonier told us.

"I want to push the pace, be powerful throughout the whole thing, if it goes 5 rounds. That's a big if, 'cause I plan on putting it on him start to finish. I don't see him lasting long. Mentally,  physically, I feel like I'm in a much better place than I was in my last camp, so I'm ready to go!"

The fight has title implications, too. JC is ranked 4, while Marvin is the 3rd ranked middleweight.

Alex Periera is ranked 1, but is moving up the light heavyweight, so he's out of the mix at 185 pounds. Robert Whittaker (who is fighting Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 next month) is ranked 2nd. Israel Adesanya is the reigning champ.

With a win, Cannonier believes this puts him "right at the doorstep" of a title fight.

We also talked to 29-year-old Vettori, who, you guessed it, isn't exactly on the same page when it comes to how he sees the fight going.

"Me being young, and me being hungrier, the more the fight goes on, the more [Jared's] gonna struggle. And, I might catch him early, too. I heard he wants to come out like crazy, I welcome that. Please, bring it, 'cause damn sure you're not gonna get me out of there!"

As for what happens after a win over Jared, Marvin tells us he isn't sweating the future.

"I always felt it inside, I always knew a trilogy with Adesanya is gonna happen. So, I'm not even stressing about it. My whole focus is to go out and look amazing in front of Cannonier and the rest will fall into place."

Former college football player Ray Lewis III -- the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis -- died from an overdose ... this according to police.

TMZ Sports obtained the overdose report from police in Florida ... and it says Lewis apparently died from an accidental overdose.

Police say they responded to a call for a medical emergency and found an unresponsive Lewis, who was getting CPR from a friend while another friend was screaming for Narcan (a drug used during overdoses).

Cops say Lewis was lying naked in a room, between a bed and a wall and he was not breathing. Police say they administered Narcan in his right nostril, but there was no response.

The report also says cops searched the room and found a blue pill near Lewis' body, which they unofficially identified as Alprazolam (the drug in brands like Xanax). Police also say there was a used needle at the scene, plus a small plastic bag found inside of an empty beer can.

As we reported ... Lewis was found dead earlier this week ... and the police report says the call came in at 5:29 PM on Wednesday.

Here's a side of championship celebrations you don't see very often -- Nuggets hooper Bruce Brown revealed the aftermath of raging nonstop since Denver won the NBA Finals earlier this week ... admitting he's "hurting bad."

The 26-year-old posted some hungover content to his Instagram on Friday ... saying Nikola Jokic is to blame for his seat on the struggle bus.

"This is Nikola's fault," a clearly roughed-up Brown said from bed. "This is the Sombor Shuffle's fault that I'm down bad this bad ... and I want everyone to know that."

Brown admitted he had no idea what Jokic was handing him throughout the night ... but there's no doubt in his mind whatever it was was the source of his pain.

Brown -- who played a huge role in the Finals -- also begged for some "damn Pedialyte" to help him recover.

Of course, Brown was one of many Nuggets players letting loose during the team's parade and rally celebrations on Thursday ... which flowed into a night of raging at a Vegas nightclub.

Quando Rondo is starting his Father's Day weekend behind bars ... as NBA YoungBoy's Never Broke Again artist was locked up on drug charges, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to booking records in Georgia, Quando was arrested Friday and subsequently charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia's controlled substances law, 1 count of participating in criminal activity affiliated with a street gang, and 1 count of illegal use of a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal.

He was indicted along with 18 other individuals ... who are accused of conducting the drug deals between October 2022 and June 2023.

Prosecutors claim the "ABG" rapper instructed another defendant to negotiate weed prices and then traveled to Macon, GA to pay the supplier.

According to online records, Quando is currently locked up in the Chatham County jail. He clearly sensed the immediate doom because he tweeted out to his family members shortly before going in.

The Vegas Golden Knights are still riding high after winning the Stanley Cup Final ... 'cause the squad continued their celebration by raging their faces off on The Strip!!

The champs have taken advantage of their home turf this week ... staying put in Sin City as they soak in the first Cup in franchise history.

VGK players hit up several spots during their victory tour, including the popular Encore Beach Club inside the Wynn .... and they were treated like kings -- getting treated with confetti, signs, flags and, of course, the song "We Are The Champions" by Queen.

The players were loving it all ... and to show their appreciation, they showered the fans with massive bottles of champagne before stealing a few sips for themselves.

To soak up all the alcohol, the team enjoyed a meal at hot spot Delilah before their night out ... and they brought the Stanley Cup with them, too.

This is the second night in a row of partying for the champs after defeating the Florida Panthers, 9-3, in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Rap pioneer Gangsta Boo died after consuming a cocktail of hard drugs and alcohol ... this according to a new report.

According to FOX13 in Memphis, the autopsy report for the hip hop artist states she died from an accidental overdose brought on by fentanyl, cocaine, and booze.

As we previously reported, Boo -- whose real name was Lola Mitchell -- was found unconscious on New Year’s Day inside a Memphis residence ... and despite efforts to revive her, she was pronounced dead on the scene. She was 43.

Casanova is begging a judge for mercy ahead of his sentencing after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and RICO charges ... and he wants the court to know he's no longer associated with the gang that got him into trouble in the first place.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, the embattled Roc Nation rapper lays it all out in an emotional letter to the judge ... in which he fully renounces his gang ties to the Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods and promises to continue speaking out against gang life.

Casanova says he's not denying he's made some bad decisions, after all, he did plead guilty to the drug trafficking charge ... saying he used the gang life to build an image in the rap community and sell music but insisting he no longer wants to live that life.

The 36-year-old Brooklyn native also pointed to his hard upbringing and lack of a father figure as catalysts for his dip into the crime world but says music created a positive outlet for him.

Casanova thinks the government painted his raps as predominately violent ... but says that doesn't accurately reflect all his material.

He plans to speak out against gangs while locked up and says he's made new acquaintances to assist with his mission.

Casanova also submitted dozens of letters from family, friends, and colleagues vouching for his character and is hoping the judge takes it into account during his sentencing so he can serve his sentence and get back to his normal life and family.

50 Cent's booze brand is adding ice to the mix ... as in, a new partnership with the Stanley Cup champions ... The Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The NHL club, which hoisted professional hockey's trophy Tuesday night, announced a multi-year partnership Wednesday with the rapper's spirits company.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits, which makes Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, will now be the official cognac and champagne of the Vegas Golden Knights ... giving 50's brand a presence in the team's arena and on its digital platforms.

In fact, Fiddy was on hand to watch the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup Tuesday night ... and the team partied with his booze in the locker room after the series-clinching win.

The collab isn't just about alcohol ... 50 Cent's G-Unity Foundation is also teaming up with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to serve the community in Sin City.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits is on a win streak just like the Golden Knights ... as we first reported, the brand just squashed a beef with Remy Martin over its cognac bottle design.

Nick and Aaron Carter's sister, Bobbie Jean, was busted in Florida after allegedly stealing some stickers from a Hobby Lobby … and cops say she had fentanyl.

According to the arrest report, obtained by TMZ, Bobbie was arrested Saturday in Hernando County after allegedly stealing six Hobby Lobby items valued at just over $55.

The Hobby Lobby loss prevention team told sheriff's deputies they observed her taking items off the shelves, putting them in her purse, and walking out of the store without attempting to pay for the goods.

When sheriff's deputies took Bobbie into the store's loss prevention office, they say she grabbed her purse in a panic and tossed a powder blue container under a desk. Deputies say they found the container, which had 1.3 grams of white powder and 0.8 grams of purple powder inside. We're told a field test of the purple powder came back positive for fentanyl.

Bobbie was placed into custody and on her way to jail deputies say she threatened to hurt herself, telling them … "I'm just going to have to kill myself." As a result, we're told she was placed on suicide watch at the jail.

Ultimately, Bobbie was booked on one count of retail theft and one count of possession of fentanyl.

50 Cent and Rémy Martin are no longer beefing ... the famous alcohol brand settled its lawsuit over the rapper's cognac bottle design.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, 50 Cent’s company and Rémy Martin reached a settlement June 1 but asked the court to keep terms of the settlement under seal.

The beef dates back to August 2021, when Rémy Martin sued 50 Cent's Spire Spirits in Manhattan federal court ... claiming the rapper’s Branson cognac brand ripped off their distinctive bottle design.

In the suit, Rémy Martin claimed 50 Cent's cognac copied their famous jewel-shaped glass bottle design. Rémy Martin claimed the design was synonymous with their brand and could cause confusion.

Reps for Rémy Martin tell TMZ ... they're pleased to resolve the trademark and patent dispute, and the brand respects 50 Cent’s entry into the cognac market.

The mass shooting after the Nuggets' championship win in Denver on Tuesday morning appeared to be sparked by a drug deal gone wrong ... this according to cops.

Denver chief of police Ron Thomas made the revelation on Tuesday afternoon ... explaining that they discovered cash, firearms and what appeared to be fentanyl at the scene -- all signs that point toward a botched drug deal.

Two people, Thomas said, are in police custody -- though their exact involvement remains unclear.

Of the 10 people that sustained gunshot wounds, authorities said they believe five or six were innocent bystanders. All 10, thankfully, are now in "fair condition," according to officials ... though five still remain in the hospital.

The gunshots initially broke out about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM ... roughly three and a half hours after Denver beat Miami to win the NBA title in Game 5.

Officials praised the actions of responding officers -- releasing video from the scene that showed cops running toward the gunshots in an effort to keep people safe.

An investigation into it all, officials added, remains ongoing.