Drugs & Alcohol

Artie Lange is back in custody ... and his latest mug shot is very sad and disturbing.

The comedian was in court Wednesday in Essex County, New Jersey. We're told he was taken into custody after his hearing after testing positive for cocaine and morphine.

Law enforcement sources say the mark under Lange's nose is a scab that started to bleed.

The same day he was sent back to jail, someone managing Artie's Twitter account announced he would be undergoing a long term treatment program, adding ... "He loves and respects his fans... updates coming soon.. and it’s time."

We broke the story ... Lange pled guilty to heroin possession at the end of 2017 and went to an inpatient drug rehab program after he got out of jail. He was later sentenced to 4 years probation.

The judge also ordered him to complete an outpatient drug program and complete 50 hours of community service.

Lange's latest bust will likely result in a probation violation ... so he's looking at more tough times ahead.

Originally Published -- 10:22 AM PT

11:46 AM PT -- Artie's attorney, Frank Arleo, tells TMZ Artie was "taken into custody so that the Drug Court could re-evaluate him and recommend a course of treatment. Once that is done, he will be released. Artie is committed to getting better."

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says the team was seriously committed to helping Josh Gordon beat his addiction issues ... but they realized real quick, the problems were way too serious.

Robert and his son, Jonathan (who's the president of the Patriots) spoke about the troubled WR on "Boston Sports Tonight" ... calling Gordon a "real good guy" with incredible potential.

The Patriots signed Gordon in Sept. knowing full well his history with substance abuse -- but figured they could give him a support system to overcome his demons.

27-year-old Gordon crushed it for the Pats until Dec. -- when he was suspended by the league after reportedly falling off the wagon, and failing another drug test.

"Unfortunately, people like that need mentoring at a young age," Robert said.

"But, when it becomes addiction, addiction is something that is way beyond our ... we gave him tremendous support on a daily basis, and he was worthy. But, I think we as a society have to try to help these young people not to get addicted in the first place."

"And, that's the sad part of this. He's a good guy -- a really good guy. It makes us sad."

Jonathan echoed his father's sentiments ... saying Gordon clicked with his teammates, had a great work ethic and could have been a key contributor in the playoffs -- if he could have stayed clean.

"This wasn't a troublemaker in the locker room," Jonathan said ... "Unfortunately, he had some personal demons."

"As a person and as a teammate, he was beloved in the locker room. And, I'm sure if you ask guys this week, they would tell you they wish he was here with us. He was not a guy that was disruptive or a problem."

Both Jonathan and Robert believe Gordon's issues run very deep -- and his story is a wake-up call about how to prevent addiction in the first place.

"He didn't grow up with any support system," Jonathan added ... "He saw other people doing it, and it gets back to the original way we grew up."

"And, that doesn't mean people don't get addicted from all walks of life -- but you get exposed to it in a whole different way when you come from where Josh Gordon came from. He is a very good kid."

Tom Brady once beat the hell outta Wes Welker in a beer-chugging contest ... and it all went down during the best bar night EVER -- so says his ex-Pats teammate.

TMZ Sports spoke with ex-teammate-turned-Impact Wrestling star "Moose" (aka Quinn Ojinnaka) -- an OL who blocked for Tom during New England's '10 season -- and he says Brady's G.O.A.T. skills extend far beyond the gridiron.

Per Moose ... when the team got snowed in after a road game in Buffalo in Dec. 2010 -- they decided to hit a bar in the "middle of nowhere" -- and that's when Tom put on a show.

"I realized then that Tom Brady was the greatest quarterback ever, because him and Wes Welker got in a beer-chugging contest and as good as he is being the quarterback, he's even better chugging beer!"

Moose says TB12 mopped the floor with the legendary slot-WR ... prompting him to call it, "The best night out I've had as a football player."

If you think he's exaggerating -- he ain't ... 'memba when Tom went on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and murdered a pint of suds???

Be very afraid, Rams.

Clinton Portis says there's TWO reasons he would booze on Hennessey before taking the field during his NFL career -- pain management and "turning up."

Yeah, it's confusing ... but that's how the former Washington Redskins running back justified his alcoholic pre-game ritual while appearing on FS1's "Fair Game with Kristine Leahy" on Monday.

"If you're going out to have a good time, you pre-game" Portis explained while comparing playing in the NFL to hitting the clubs with friends.

In other words, Clinton started off by saying the shot helped him get his mind right.

"It was a turn-up ... for me, it wasn't like I was getting drunk. We took one shot."

Then came the pivot -- it's almost like Clinton realized his explanation wasn't going over well, so he played the self-medication card.

"For me, it was kind of like, 'This shot and I'm going out to play.' Like this is going to take the pain away or the fear or whatever it was. Like, now it's time."

Portis says he was never one to take pain-killers or drugs ... so hittin' the bottle before he hit the pads was his way of coping with the injuries he suffered throughout his 9-year career.

"After I took that shot, it was like, okay, now it's time to go do this instead of going to lay down and take a Toradol shot which all the sudden it comes out and it's hazardous to your health."

Demi Lovato had a big day Friday ... celebrating 6 months of sobriety.

Demi hit up an L.A. gym and returned home to a delicious surprise ... a cake with a message from her team ... "HAPPY 6 MO WE ARE SO F***ING PROUD OF YOU."

Demi has landed on her feet after her extended stint in rehab, following her near-fatal overdose last July.

She's been back in L.A. since November and has been dating her sober companion, Henry Levy.

Demi, who has struggled with addiction for years, was sober for 6 years before her relapse and has clearly made sobriety her priority. Several years ago she chose to live in a sober house for an extended period of time to help ensure she would not relapse.

Killer Mike says Americans know better by now -- weed doesn't cause the same harm as booze, cigarettes or even sugar ... so it's time to get progressive with the drug.

The Atlanta rapper and activist was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us his take on the medical marijuana ad being blocked from airing during the Super Bowl. Mike says it's not fair to blame CBS or the NFL for this, because the U.S. as a whole has been too slow to accept the benefits of cannabis ... and it's shameful.

His solution -- citizens need to make sure promoting a progressive agenda on marijuana is top of mind when they go vote in the next elections ... so people like those in the rejected Acreage Holding PSA can get the help they need.

There's more -- if ya don't know, Killer Mike has a new show on Netflix called 'Trigger Warning,' where he gets creative dealing with some of America's biggest issues and controversies.

Case in point -- he thinks the notorious Crips and Bloods should capitalize on their brand to market their own sodas and have some friendly competition in the process. He points out that the mafia and biker gangs do it and cash in ... so it's only fair.

Call him Grow Montana ... because the NFL Hall of Famer is investing HEAVILY in the weed business.

62-year-old Joe Montana is one of the major investors of a company called Caliva -- a major legal marijuana operation out of San Jose, CA.

The company not only grows weed -- it also sells everything from joints to vape pens and even marijuana beverages.

Montana started a venture fund back in 2015 -- and when Caliva was seeking investors for a $75 million round of funding, Montana's company joined in.

Caliva CEO Dennis O'Malley issued a statement saying the company plans on opening retail stores in major cities in 2019.

He added, "What we’re trying to do is be the #1 brand in California ... We believe this is where global brands are made."

This is the medical marijuana ad CBS rejected for the Super Bowl, and it's incredibly moving and emotional.

The ad, produced by Acreage Holdings, a marijuana and cannabis investment firm, was willing to pay $5 million for the spot, but CBS turned it down ... because, we're told, they don't allow any marijuana ads on the air.

The ad profiles 3 people -- a boy who had hundreds of seizures a day that were not abated by traditional medicine, a man addicted to opioids, and a veteran who was in severe pain after his leg was amputated. All say medical marijuana made life livable.

Troubled 'Teen Mom' star Ryan Edwards was arrested over a whiskey bill.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ, Edwards was at Bud's bar in Hamilton County, Tennessee where he ordered 6 Jack Daniel's whiskey, raking up a bill of $36 and then walking out without forking over the money.

The bartender called the cops and recognized his face from photos in the Criminal Justice Portal. His mug was there because he's been arrested multiple times before, for drug possession and other offenses.

Police located Edwards and arrested him for Theft of Services Under $1,000.

According to cops, Edwards was in the bar from noon till 4 PM, when he left.

The incident went down last month, but he was arrested Wednesday.

He is still in custody and is being held without bail, because of another pending criminal case in a neighboring county.

Terrell Davis tells TMZ Sports if CBD was around when he was playing for the Denver Broncos ... his Hall of Fame career would have lasted a lot longer than it did.

TD famously broke into the league as an immediate superstar in 1995 ... rushing for more than 6,000 yards in his first 4 seasons.

But, a knee injury ultimately sapped him of his prime years ... forcing him to play in just 17 games in his final three seasons and retire at just 29 years old.

Now ... Davis tells us if CBD was around back then -- he's confident his career would have been saved.

"I believe so, because any time you can help your body heal -- you can take out the swelling, the inflammation and you can do it in a way that's natural -- I feel like absolutely it would have assisted in that."

Davis says he knows this because he's a regular user of the drug ... and, in fact, he is coming out with his own CBD product called Defy that is set to launch this spring.

Skylar Gaertner wanted to be one of the kids solving mysteries in Hawkins, Indiana, but he ended up being the son of a drug dealer in the Lake of the Ozarks ... and he's glad!

We got the "Ozark" star at LAX Tuesday. He plays Jonah Byrde on the show, but tells us that wouldn't be the case if he had not been rejected for another crazy popular Netflix's original series.

Skylar says he actually auditioned for 2 roles on "Stranger Things" -- back when it was called "Montauk" -- but didn't get them.

Silver lining -- he's on another mega-popular show now ... which is also entering its third season.

10:50 AM PT -- Acreage's founder and CEO, Kevin P. Murphy, tells TMZ ... the Super Bowl spot was going to be a PSA, not an ad for his company. He says the message was going to be a positive one, emphasizing the benefits of cannabis with testimonials about how it has saved lives ... including the child suffering constant seizures and a man addicted to opiates.

Murphy says his company was set to spend more than $5 mil on the PSA ... but to no avail.

7:40 AM PT -- Sources connected to the network tell TMZ, CBS does not accept any cannabis-related advertising. The sources add they are not aware of any broadcasters who will air such ads.

It's the Super Bowl ... not the Smoke-a-Bowl -- that's the message CBS gave to a marijuana company that wanted to run a pro-weed ad during the big game.

The company behind the ad is Acreage Holdings -- which has a license to grow and distribute marijuana in several states.

In fact, former Speaker of the House John Boehner is on the board -- and has been promoting the company heavily for months. Boehner is a huge proponent of medical marijuana.

Acreage claims it submitted a proposal to CBS to air a commercial during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 -- but they were rejected after seeing a rough outline of the spot, according to Bloomberg.com.

We've learned Acreage already produced the ad and among the message points -- there's a story about a woman who lived in Oklahoma whose son suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.

The woman had to move to Colorado with her son because she couldn't get medical marijuana in OKC due to the laws at the time, despite the fact doctors recommended weed to help him out.

The message is that not allowing medical marijuana is not just bad politics, but it's cruel to people who need it since there's medical proof that it alleviates pain and suffering.

FYI, medical pot is now legal in more than 30 states -- but it's still outlawed federally ... which may have factored into CBS's decision to put the kibosh on the ad.

Acreage president George Allen told Bloomberg the ad was meant to "create an advocacy campaign for constituents who are being lost in the dialogue."

Allen says the company was serious about spending the money on a Super Bowl ad because "It’s hard to compete with the amount of attention something gets when it airs during the Super Bowl."

Ex-Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden was arrested in Texas early Monday morning after officials say he was driving drunk at a Whataburger ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us the 31-year-old was asleep behind the wheel of a 2019 GMC Yukon in the drive-thru at a Whataburger in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

During the incident, cops say McFadden was resisting officers. Multiple sources tell us McFadden's driver's side and passenger windows were smashed during the incident.

Cops responded to the scene and arrested McFadden. He was taken to a nearby station where he was booked for DWI and resisting arrest. He was released on bond a short time later.

McFadden was a star during his college days at Arkansas and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the #4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

After spending 7 seasons with the Raiders, McFadden later signed with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played until 2017. He retired after that season.

Despite never making a Pro Bowl, McFadden got PAID during his 10 seasons in the league -- reportedly earning roughly $50 MILLION during his career.

Story developing ...

Blac Chyna had the LAPD at her home after a call came in alleging Chyna was intoxicated and neglecting her child.

Law enforcement sources tell us an anonymous person called in Sunday night and stated Chyna was drunk at her home. The caller claimed Chyna was in such bad shape, she couldn't properly care for her daughter, Dream Kardashian.

Cops went to Chyna's house and determined everything was fine, nobody was drunk, and Dream was being properly cared for. There was also a nanny at the home.

Sources close to the situation tell us earlier in the night, Chyna got in a fight with a member of her glam team and the incident may have triggered the call to cops.

As we reported -- Chyna allegedly threw a drink at 'Love & Hip Hop' star Alexis Skyy last week -- in response to Skyy hanging out with Rob Kardashian. Rob posted a video of Skyy at his home just a couple days later.

We reached out to a rep for Chyna ... so far, no word back.

Tom Sizemore could be taking a long trip, and not to a sunny tropical island, either -- he's staring down the possibility of a year in jail after his recent drug bust ... TMZ has learned.

The Burbank City Attorney has charged Sizemore with 2 counts of possession of heroin, and 2 counts of possession of medication without a prescription. We broke the story -- the actor was pulled over in Burbank a couple weeks ago for expired tags and a missing front license plate, but he got arrested after cops say they found meth and heroin in the car.

Now, luckily for Sizemore all 4 charges are misdemeanors ... so he won't go to prison if convicted. In addition to the year in jail, he could also get hit with a $1,000 fine.

Bam Margera's friends are seriously worried about his ongoing battle with alcoholism, even though he's clearing the legal hurdles stemming from his DUI case.

On the same day fellow 'Jackass' star Brandon Novak told us he's concerned over his buddy's drinking habits, Bam's lawyer was busy submitting legal docs informing the court that Bam was ahead of schedule with the terms of his DUI sentence.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Bam completed a 3-month online alcohol program and attended 10 AA meetings. He's still on probation.

Brandon told us he was super sketched out when Bam checked himself out of a Bay Area rehab facility earlier this month, because he believes Bam could end up killing himself if he doesn't clean up his act.