Drugs & Alcohol

4:05 PM PT -- Paul's attorney Bobby Samini is doubling down on his client's comments ... telling TMZ the charges against him are totally false.

Samini says, "Mr. Rodriguez was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by the Burbank Police Department last night. He fully cooperated with law enforcement at all times. Law enforcement asserted that the driver of the vehicle was in possession of a controlled substance. Mr. Rodriguez did not have any controlled substance in his possession, nor was he under the influence of any controlled substance.

"Mr. Rodriguez’s arrest and treatment constituted a violation of his civil rights. We look forward to establishing Mr. Rodriguez’s innocence in a court of law."

Paul Rodriguez was recently arrested for alleged possession of narcotics in Burbank ... but the comedian tells TMZ the drugs weren't his -- and he's leveling some serious allegations against police.

We broke the story that Paul was arrested Friday when the car he was in was pulled over for a traffic violation, at which time cops allegedly found narcotics. Paul was arrested for misdemeanor possession.

But the comedian tells TMZ that not only were the drugs not his ... he feels one of the officers overstepped during the arrest -- and it may have been racially motivated.

From what he says ... the car was Paul's, but he was asleep in the passenger seat when it was pulled over -- which is when the "Caucasian" officer allegedly slapped Paul to wake him up ... 'cause he was on a "power trip."

Kim Kardashian just took a wild trip down memory lane -- literally -- recalling a past drug run incident and how, in a way, it ties into her lifelong passion for prison reform.

In the latest episode of "The Kardashians," Kim sat down with a group of incarcerated men during a Sacramento prison visit -- where she recalled the time teen Kim got talked into picking up ecstasy from an apartment ... and thinking back on it has her freaking out, thinking about how it could have gone south.

However, Kim admitted that if she had gotten caught, she knew her attorney dad, Robert Kardashian, would’ve had her back in a heartbeat -- but for the men sitting with her, that kind of safety net never existed.

Jax Taylor's opening up about hitting rock bottom amid his marriage troubles with Brittany Cartwright ... revealing just how deep his cocaine addiction really went.

JT explained he hit rock bottom in early 2024 when Brittany left him, spending months alone in his house, drinking heavily and "doing enough cocaine to kill a small horse."

Jax's addiction clearly took over at the time -- 'cause he told US Weekly he wasn't even eating, he was just spiraling into a depression with the devil on his shoulder making him feel like he'd lost everything.

Brooke Mueller says she's a "stage 4" drug addict and it's only a matter of time before she relapses again.

Charlie Sheen's ex-wife opens up about her struggles with substance abuse in a new interview with People, telling the outlet she's stuck in a cycle where she gets sober and relapses.

Brooke says ... "When we're at stage four, it typically means that cycle where you just have these relapses, no matter how well you get, and no matter how many years, it's just a matter of time."

Joe Budden is being dragged into court by two neighbors who claim he tried to enter their place while naked and has been causing a ruckus in the building with his podcast.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a complaint filed by attorney Thomas Mirigliano on behalf of John and Yuliya Aksoy, who claim Budden, his podcast co-host Melyssa Ford, and the condo association have engaged in a "campaign of intimidation and retribution" after the Aksoys raised complaints about the disruption from Budden recording his highly rated podcast in the building.

John and Yuliya both claim they confronted Budden about the excessive noise from the podcast and complained about Budden and co. smoking weed in the condo's common area, leaving ashes on the property, and creating a hazardous health situation for their young daughter.

Marcus Jordan is now admitting he has a substance abuse problem ... weeks after he was arrested for possession of ketamine and driving under the influence.

In a new court filing, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jordan and his attorneys revealed the 34-year-old has been dealing with "challenges" related to his "alcohol/substance use" ... and now, he wants a judge to order him to complete a Pre-Trial Substance Abuse Education and Treatment Intervention Program in an effort to help him with these issues.

Jordan's attorneys argued the program would "not only benefit him personally but also serve the community by reducing the likelihood of future offenses." They added in the documents that Michael's son "is amenable to treatment."

2:59 PM PT -- Mitch Voit is expressing regret over his viral celebration ... saying his actions do not reflect how he was raised, his character or the school.

"I made an immature decision in the heat of the moment," Voit said in a statement.

"I take full responsibility for what I did, and I am truly sorry to all those who I have negatively impacted by doing this."

Mitch Voit gave a whole 'nother meaning to "line" drive during Sunday's USC vs. Michigan baseball game ... after he hit a big RBI triple, he appeared to pretend to snort cocaine!!

The wild scene all unfolded during the second inning of the Wolverines' tilt with the Trojans in Ann Arbor, after Voit roped a pitch to center field.

He rounded second and slid head-first into third ... and when he realized his bat just plated three runs for his Michigan squad, he put his nose to the nearby chalk line and took a big sniff.

More legal issues for Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin ... police arrested him after cops say he got physical with his girlfriend.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police in Torrance, CA received a call to an apartment around 3 AM Tuesday night for a fight.

We're told when officers arrived, they talked to Wes and his girlfriend and determined the couple got into a verbal argument that at one point, allegedly turned physical.

Offset and his entourage's plans to enjoy the legal California cannabis went up in smoke last night ... a security guard is accusing the former Migos rapper of assaulting him -- and sending him to the hospital!!!

Multiple sources tell TMZ Hip Hop that Offset and several other guys popped up at a popular dispensary, MedMen LAX, around 9:30 PM ... and a dispute arose over whether Offset presented ID, prohibiting him by law from buying or even touching any marijuana products.

Reps for Offset call the claims ridiculous ... he had just gotten off a flight at the nearby airport, and identification is an obvious requirement to hop on a commercial plane, and they say ID was in his possession at the shop.

South Korean K-Pop star Wheesung was reportedly found dead inside his home on Monday — and police are investigating whether his death was drug-related.

The body of the singer-songwriter was discovered inside his apartment last evening by Fire Department officials after he went into cardiac arrest, according to the New York Times.

The newspaper said Wheesung — whose real name was Choi Whee-sung — had a history of drug abuse — and investigators with the Seoul Gwangjin Police Station were looking into the possibility he overdosed.

More legal issues for the two men accused of playing a role in the mysterious deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans last year ... TMZ Sports has confirmed they've just been sued.

Court records we obtained show Jon Harrington filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson in Missouri on Friday ... just days after authorities alleged the two contributed to his son David Harrington's death by supplying him with a lethal mix of drugs at a '24 Chiefs watch party.

The lawsuit states the get-together took place on Jan. 7, 2024 ... at Willis' Platte County home.

Lala Kent has broken her silence on her former "Vanderpump Rules" costar, Jax Taylor’s recent admission about his cocaine addiction ... saying she's proud of him for speaking out.

During an Amazon Live on Wednesday, Lala, who had prior struggles with addiction, said … "That is not easy to admit. This is going to be his journey and his journey only, and he should be the only one to speak on it because none of us know what he’s been through in his life."

She went on to say she wants "nothing but the best" for Jax in his sobriety and him talking about his addiction is "a very, very delicate subject" and "sobriety for someone, it’s not one size fits all. Everyone has a different level of addiction, but addiction is addiction."

Jax Taylor has revealed very personal news ... coming clean that he has been addicted to cocaine for half his life.

The 45-year-old reality star was clearly nervous to make the candid confession on Tuesday's "Hot Mic" podcast episode ... but did so to set his story straight ahead of Season 2 of "The Valley."

He explains ... "I just want to let people know this is a really, really tough disease and it’s a really tough sickness ... So to come out and say that I have an addiction [and] that I have a sickness that I have to work on the rest of my life is a really big deal for me."

Bob Bryar -- the drummer for My Chemical Romance from 2004 to 2014 -- died next to a large supply of nitrous oxide ... according to the medical examiner.

TMZ obtained the autopsy report from Bob's November death in Tennessee, and the Bedford County Medical Examiner says the rocker's badly decomposed body was found next to three large nitrous oxide canisters.

The ME says antidepressant medication was also found at the home where Bob was found dead. The report notes the nitrous oxide canisters had attached tubing -- meaning they were ready for use -- but the ME stops short of saying the substance played a role in Bob's death.

David Krumholtz claims smoking weed almost killed him -- and, he doesn't mean he thought he was going to die because he got too high ... he says it actually sent him to the hospital.

The veteran actor best known as head elf Bernard in 'The Santa Clause' franchise told Page Six he took a long break from smoking marijuana ... but, when he got back into it, it quickly became a daily habit.

Krumholtz says the daily toking took a toll. He developed cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome ... a rare condition that causes long-term, daily marijuana smokers "repeated and severe bouts of vomiting" according to Cedars-Sinai.

BigXthaPlug -- one of rap's biggest rising stars -- has been arrested on a marijuana charge in Texas ... TMZ has learned.

BigX was arrested Wednesday morning and was being held at the Arlington City Jail. He's been charged with possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana.

Arlington PD tells TMZ ... around 12:05 AM local time, BigX was driving with expired tags and got pulled over by cops. The officer reported he could smell marijuana as he approached the vehicle and asked BigX and the passenger -- Cleodist Landum -- to exit the car.