Son of former vice president Gore arrested on drug charges

 A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department in suburban Los Angeles said that Gore was driving more than 160 kilometres per hour, far above the legal speed limit, when he was stopped early Wednesday in Laguna Hills, California.

 The sheriff's deputy making the traffic stop smelled marijuana and conducted a search, which yielded a small amount of cannabis and several controlled medications, for which he had no prescriptions, authorities said.

 His father, Al Gore Jr, has become a vocal environmental advocate since losing the 2000 presidential election, travelling the world to raise alarm about climate change.

 At the time of his arrest, the younger Gore was driving a Toyota Prius, an efficient hybrid-motor vehicle popular with environmentalists.//DPA