Former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page says he's relieved that drug possession charges against him have been formally dismissed.
"I just want to say I'm certainly pleased and relieved, it's been a long process," Page said over the telephone on Friday.
Last July, Page, his girlfriend and her roommate were charged with drug possession after police found cocaine at a Fayetteville, N.Y., apartment.
In October, a judge said the charges would be dropped if the trio weren't arrested again, received therapy, and passed drug screening in the ensuing six months.
Page's lawyer says his client has met all of the conditions laid out by the New York judge.
"New York statute is very specific, and it says that someone who has a dismissal under these circumstances is restored to the position they were in prior to their arrest and prosecution," said Mark Mahoney, Page's Buffalo-based lawyer.
Page thanked Mahoney, the district attorney and the judge for helping him through the process.
"It's been really nice to work with people who are reasonable and thoughtful, and it's been emboldening for me also to get a sense of the respect that they have for me," Page said. "It's nice."
Mahoney said a judge determined earlier this week that Page had met the requirements. He said charges have also been dismissed against the two women arrested at the same time as Page.
The lawyer said the outright dismissal of the charges removes any legal obstacles that might have prevented Page from visiting the United States.
He also said the records of Page's arrest and prosecution are now sealed and that any fingerprints or photos that may have been taken will be destroyed.
The charges were a public-relations nightmare for the Barenaked Ladies, coming just as the band reinvented themselves as a children's act.
Things seemed to come to a head in February, when Page announced he was leaving the band to pursue solo projects, including a career in theatre.
Still, Page and BNL co-founder Ed Robertson have maintained that the arrest was not the main reason behind the split, saying it was simply time to move on.
Page had long been a signature voice for the band, performing on hits including "One Week," "Brian Wilson," "If I Had $1,000,000" and "Jane."
In March, the Barenaked Ladies won a Juno Award for children's album of the year. Page did not attend the ceremony and Robertson said the group felt "reinvigorated and revitalized."
"It's been a tough year for the band, but at the same time it's been a really galvanizing year," he said backstage at the private dinner ceremony. "The four of us feel really confident and really proud of what we've done."
Page was similarly upbeat when discussing his future in a recent interview.
He's scoring his third play for the Stratford Festival, has another album already finished with Toronto's the Art of Time Ensemble and is planning a record under his own name.
"I will miss being a Barenaked Lady like crazy, but there are other lots of other things I'm really looking forward to," he said. "No one's going anywhere. I'm going to continue to make music and those guys are going to continue to make music as well. I think it will be good for everybody."
