This Beer Has Too Much Buzz

But authorities in Santa Cruz, Calif., charge a graduate student added kick to his suds with something very illegal.

Prosecutors report Chad Renzelman has pleaded no contest to heroin possession. Police say they found morphine-spiked beer in his garage. The organic chemistry student told authorities he extracted opium from poppies, which he then converted to morphine. He claimed he didn't know it was illegal to make morphine beer.

Renzelman avoids prison time after being sentenced to a drug diversion program. His lawyer says Renzelman's record will be cleared if he stays out of trouble for the next 18 months.