Al Gore’s son arrested on drug charges

24-year-old was driving Prius at about 100 mph, authorities say

Kevork Djansezian / AP

Al Gore III, right, is seen with his father, former Vice President Al Gore, mother Tipper and sister Karenna Gore Schiff at the Oscars in February this year.

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updated 5:59 p.m. ET July 4, 2007

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. - Al Gore’s son was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs after deputies pulled him over for speeding, authorities said.

Al Gore III, 24, was driving a blue Toyota Prius about 100 mph on the San Diego Freeway when he was pulled over at about 2:15 a.m., Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino said.

The deputies said they smelled marijuana and searched the car, Amormino said. They found less than an ounce of marijuana along with Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall, which is used for attention deficit disorder, he said.

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“He does not have a prescription for any of those drugs,” Amormino said.

Gore was released from the men’s central jail in Santa Ana Wednesday afternoon after posting $20,000 bail. Amormino said Gore had yet to hire an attorney.

Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for his parents, did not immediately return phone messages to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee also was pulled over and arrested for pot possession in December 2003, in Bethesda, Md., while he was a student at Harvard University.

He completed substance abuse counseling as part of a pretrial diversion program to settle those charges.

The youngest of Al and Tipper Gore’s four children and their only son, Gore lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine about philanthropy aimed at young people.