Among those who use recreational drugs, Bill Murray is something of an icon, having played several pot-smoking characters over the years, including the cannabis-loving sea captain Steve Zissou from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and noted drug user Hunter S. Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam.

So, was Bill Murray actually arrested for transporting Mary Jane, or was this story just an urban legend concocted by Murray’s pot-smoking fanbase?  Believe it or not, this story is actually true. Murray was arrested for this on his 20th birthday…not exactly the best way to celebrate such a happy occasion.

Here’s how it went down: on September 21st, 1970, Murray was trying to catch a flight to Denver. At the time, Murray was a pre-med student (yes, you read that right) at Regis University in Colorado. But Murray never made his flight back to school…partially because of a stupid joke.

While Murray is considered a gifted comedian today, at age 20, he still needed to hone his craft. Perhaps he had been smoking a bit before arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, because while waiting to board the plane, he joked to a fellow passenger that his suitcase contained two bombs…

Unfortunately for Murray, a ticket agent overheard his comment and alerted the authorities. Of course, Murray didn’t have “two bombs”, but his luggage did contain a staggering amount of grass. To be precise, Murray had five “bricks” of marijuana in his possession, which weighed a total of about 10 pounds. That much weed was worth $20,000 at the time, or about $117,000 today.

That said, even if Murray hadn’t been running his mouth, he would have been caught red-handed. Chicago’s finest vice detectives were already on the scene waiting for Murray, having gotten a tip about his suitcase full of drugs.  Suffice it to say, Murray was arrested and put on probation for five years.

During that time, his doctoral aspirations were put on hold. However, Regis did award him an honorary doctorate in 2007. (Student loans not necessary!) Incidentally, when he accepted the doctorate, he did so wearing pajama shorts and top, with a suit jacket over them.

Five years after his arrest, Murray was vaulted into the limelight when he was cast on Saturday Night Live, but it wasn’t the Saturday Night Live most know today.  Rather, he was cast on ABC’s Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell.  The show was canceled after the first season, but Murray quickly found work as a replacement to Chevy Chase in NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which was just into its second season.  And the rest is comedy history.

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Feed), as well as:

• How Groundhog Day Got Started
• Mark Wahlberg was a Drug Dealer and was Charged with Attempted Murder Before Forming Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
• Tim Allen Was a Convicted Drug Dealer Before Becoming Famous
• 15 Famous People Who’ve Spent Time in Jail
• The Major League Pitcher Who Claimed He Threw a No-Hitter While on LSD

Bonus Fact:

• The Illinois State Police report on Murray’s O’Hare arrest recorded Murray’s weight as 170 pounds in 1970. His skin was described as “ruddy”.