If attorney Michael Stepanian is characterizing Peter Acworth’s arrest for cocaine possession as a bullshit bust, why has Acworth hired one of the biggest guns in the legal profession to defend him? Stepanian is the lawyer to many coke dealers and celebrity drug offenders including the Grateful Dead.

He’s been practicing criminal law for 35 years, and specializes in the defense of individuals charges with state and federal crimes. Based in San Francisco, Stepanian is co-chair of the NORML [National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws] Legal Committee and is a member of the CJA [Criminal Justice Act] panel for the Northern District of California.