Talk show host Montel Williams, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, became one of the best-known medical marijuana advocates in the country, and in January 2011 he backed a Maryland bill from Sen. David Brinkley and Del. Dan Morhaim to legalize medical cannabis in his home state. That same month, airport screeners in Milwaukee found a pipe in his bag, a small incident that showed how exposed even famous patients were under prohibition.
What Happened
Williams, born in Baltimore in 1956, spent 22 years in the Marine Corps and Navy before hosting The Montel Williams Show from 1991 to 2008, according to his biography. After his MS diagnosis he founded the Montel Williams MS Foundation and began saying publicly that cannabis eased the neuropathic pain the disease caused him.
On January 4, 2011, Transportation Security Administration screeners at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee found a pipe in his carry-on. The Milwaukee County sheriff’s office said it was “a pipe commonly used for marijuana,” and Williams paid a $484 citation for possession of drug paraphernalia before continuing his trip, theGrio reported. He said he used cannabis for MS pain and that an earlier paraphernalia stop at a Detroit airport years before had turned him into an advocate. BET later reported that a judge dismissed the charge and that the pipe tested negative for marijuana.
Weeks later, Williams lent his name to the Brinkley-Morhaim bill, a bipartisan effort from a Frederick County Republican and a Baltimore-area Democrat to create a state-regulated system of growers and dispensaries. This site reported at the time that he planned to join the sponsors at a press conference in Annapolis on January 24, 2011.
What Happened Next
Maryland did pass a law in 2011, but not the one advocates wanted. The Senate version, SB 308, was rewritten after the state health secretary opposed the dispensary plan, and Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a narrow version in May 2011 that let patients be found not guilty if they proved medical necessity in court, with no protection from arrest and no legal way to buy. It took two more laws and until December 1, 2017, before the first licensed dispensaries opened. Our story on Maryland’s 2011 medical marijuana law covers that path in detail. Maryland voters approved adult-use legalization in November 2022, and legal sales began July 1, 2023; current rules are in our Maryland marijuana laws guide.
Williams kept advocating and turned it into business. He has marketed CBD oil products under his own name, and he has continued to speak publicly about cannabis and MS. He suffered a stroke in 2018.
Where It Stands in 2026
MS-related pain and spasticity are among the conditions where the evidence for cannabinoids is strongest; our cannabis and multiple sclerosis guide covers what the research shows. Federal law still treats adult-use marijuana as Schedule I, though marijuana held under a state medical license moved to Schedule III in April 2026, and carrying cannabis through a TSA checkpoint can still lead to a police referral. See our federal marijuana law guide.
Montel Williams and Marijuana FAQ
Why does Montel Williams use marijuana?
He says it relieves neuropathic pain from multiple sclerosis, which he was diagnosed with in 1999.
Was Montel Williams arrested for a marijuana pipe?
He was cited, not jailed. In January 2011 he paid a $484 paraphernalia citation after TSA found a pipe at Milwaukee’s airport; the charge was later reported dismissed.
Did Montel Williams help legalize medical marijuana in Maryland?
He backed the 2011 Brinkley-Morhaim bill. Maryland passed a narrowed version that year, a medical-necessity court defense, and dispensaries opened on December 1, 2017.
Originally reported by The Weed Street Journal; rewritten and updated in October 2026 with what happened next.
