AC/DC Drummer's Drug Conviction Overturned In New Zealand

March 31, 2011

According to The New Zealand Herald, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has had his cannabis conviction quashed by a court in his adopted homeland of New Zealand on the grounds that it would have stopped him from continuing to tour with the rock band.

Rudd, 56, sought to have his 2010 conviction for possession of 27 grams of marijuana wiped from his record, according to the Bay Of Plenty Times.

The drummer pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $190 plus $101 in court costs in December after failing in his bid for a discharge without conviction.

His attorney, Craig Tuck, argued at the time that the consequences of a conviction outweighed the gravity of his client's crime.

At Thursday's hearing, Rudd's attorney said the conviction restricted the rocker's ability to enter some countries, particularly the United States, Canada and Japan.

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