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1978: Keith Richards convicted for heroin possession

It's only rock 'n' roll but we like it! For nearly 40 years, Mick and the boys have had a torrid love affair with Toronto. From secret rehearsals and club gigs, to Keith Richards' heroin bust in 1977 and partying with Margaret Trudeau, the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band has called Toronto its home-away-from-home, and delivered the one thing they're famous for: Satisfaction. Ladies and gentlemen... The Rolling Stones.

A Toronto courtroom is filled to the rafters today with Rolling Stones fans eager to observe the fate of Keith Richards. Richards was busted for heroin possession after igniting suspicion by spending a few hours too many in an airplane washroom. But since he's not likely to steal for his habit, which is the court's main concern with heroin charges, his punishment is light. The guitarist is ordered to perform a charity concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
• Critics were quick to say Richards received special treatment after his drug bust. In the House of Commons, former prime minister John Diefenbaker called the sentence "preposterous and more than lenient." But Health and Welfare statistics showed that Richards's sentence was average. In the previous year, about half of Canadian heroin convictions were also jail-free.

• Born on Dec. 18, 1943 in Dartford, England, Richards is a founding member and principal guitarist of the Rolling Stones.
• Richards reportedly quit heroin after this incident and has credited Toronto with saving his life. On his Web site, Richards says "I have lived my life in my own way, and I am here because I've taken the trouble to find out who I am."

• In "Rock's 50 Greatest Meltdowns," Rolling Stone magazine reported that Richards was caught with 22 grams of heroin and five grams of cocaine. And that he requested some drugs back from the police until he could find a new supply.
• For the charity concert, Richards formed the band The New Barbarians, with Ron Wood, Stanley Clarke, Ian McLagan and saxophonist Bobby Keys.
Medium: Television
Program: The National
Broadcast Date: Oct. 24, 1978
Reporter: David Bazay
Duration: 1:31

Last updated: February 7, 2012

Page consulted on June 18, 2013

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