Ghanian-American rapper, Vic Mensa, has pleaded guilty to being in possession of a controlled substance.
Kendra Glover, a rep for the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney told local media that Mensa pled guilty to one count of possession of a Schedule III controlled substance (which is a Class 1 misdemeanor) after striking a deal with prosecutors.
Part of the plea deal he got was 12 months in jail, but that was suspended; suggesting that instead of serving it behind bars, he’ll have a year of unsupervised probation.
Mensa will also have to take a substance abuse assessment, perform 25 hours of community service, and pay a $1,000 fine. He’ll get 50 percent off that fine if he successfully completes the other probation terms.
The rapper was arrested in January at Dulles International airport for going through customs with a stash of shrooms.
Vic Mensa, speaking about the case said: “In this case, I have decided to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. I have been extremely vocal about my mental health, the culture at large, and access to mental health treatment. It is important to note the extensive research being done on the topic of psilocybin [shrooms] and the many significant movements underway for legalization and decriminalization.
“Esteemed universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of California, NYU, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and The Imperial College of London have all immersed themselves in years-long research programs with full departments and centers dedicated to this work. Unfortunately, our laws have not kept up with the research showing that psychedelic plants and compounds can be successfully used to treat otherwise treatment-resistant mental illness.
Vic Mensa
Vic Mensa further noted that he has contributed positively to many communities and will continue to do so with this case. According to him, his hope is that “the silver lining to this matter will be increased focus on the effectiveness of psychedelics to treat mental illness and mood disorders that millions are battling with depression and anxiety with the hope that all of our laws will change accordingly”.
It can be recalled that Vic Mensa was busted in America for carrying what is believed to be a ‘stash of mushrooms’ into the country.
Vic who had then met the President of Ghana, Nana Akuffo Addo just a few days ago with Chance The Rapper was returning from his trip in Ghana. U.S customs officers reportedly pulled Vic aside for a secondary search and discovered he was carrying Psilocybin (the scientific name for shrooms) which remains illegal in America.
“We’re told the feds are still testing the substance they allegedly found to confirm it is what they think it is,” TMZ broke the news reported at that time.
According to the report, Vic Mensa was booked for felony narcotics possession.
Meanwhile, according to research, “psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, mushrooms or shrooms, are a polyphyletic, informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion” hence it is considered as narcotics.
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