Michael Phelps hitting the bong - the picture that broke a billion Chinese hearts?

The Michael Phelps reefer madness refuses to end! The State (of Columbia, SC) spoke to Dick Harpootlian (seriously?), the lawyer of one of the kids who has been charged based on the infamous photo, and, wow, these cops need to seriously go fuck themselves.

“He’s sitting there on Saturday, and 12 cops kick in the door with guns drawn, search the house, and find 5, maybe 6 grams of pot,” Harpootlian said about his client, who was arrested in the first raid at the Wells Point Drive home near Ballentine.

“They never asked him, ‘Who sold you the pot?’” Harpootlian continued. “They were asking, ‘Were you at the party with Michael Phelps? Did you see him using marijuana?’ It was all about Michael Phelps.”

“He’s being treated more harshly than any kid anywhere in the country,” Harpootlian said. “The only reefer madness is being done at the sheriff’s department.”

This is absolutely insane. Insane! The report goes on:

On Saturday, deputies seized four laptop computers, a desktop computer, a computer storage drive and a cell phone in the raid at the lake home — supposedly looking for pictures of Phelps, Harpootlian and McCulloch said. Harpootlian said investigators agreed Thursday to return the computers.

On Feb. 6, investigators seized trash set outside the home and found the “tobacco filler portion of four cigars,” according to the affidavit.

Meanwhile, Mazda, another Phelps sponsor, has stood by him-- with the caveat that he apologize to the people of China. WTF?

Seriously, it's just a little pot. WHAT YEAR IS THIS?!?!???!?