Al Gore's son pleads guilty to drug possession

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore pleaded guilty on Monday to drug possession stemming from his arrest earlier this month for speeding about 100 mph (160 kph).

During a brief court hearing in Laguna Niguel, California, Albert Arnold Gore III also agreed to enter a nine-month drug treatment program.

If he completes that program successfully by February 7, a judge would ultimately dismiss all of the charges against him, prosecutors said.

Gore, whose father is now a leading fighter of global warming, was driving an environmentally friendly hybrid Toyota Prius at about 100 mph on a freeway south of Los Angeles on July 4 when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m.(0915 GMT).

Prosecutors say a search of his car turned up a small amount of marijuana, along with prescription drugs, including Valium, Xanax, Vicodin, Adderall and Soma.

He was charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, two misdemeanor counts of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription and misdemeanor possession of marijuana, along with a traffic citation for driving at over 100 mph.

The youngest child and only son of the former vice president and 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, Gore has had previous brushes with the law. He was arrested in 2003 for marijuana possession and in 2002 for suspected drunken-driving.

In 1989, at the age of 6, Gore almost died when he was hit by a car and required extensive surgery and physical therapy.

He graduated from Harvard in 2005.