After delivering a polemic against the criminalisation of the drug, Spencer Boston, 20, pulled out a joint and lit it.

He took a couple of puffs in the courtroom in Wilson County, Tennessee, before security escorted him out as he shouted: “The people deserve better!”

The courtroom burst out in laughter, CNN reports, but Judge Haywood Barry failed to see the funny side.

The judge jailed Boston for 10 days for contempt of court and he will now face an additional charge of disorderly conduct and a further charge for possession of cannabis.