In a March 26 press conference, Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore, announced the city would permanently cease prosecuting “low-level” offenses, including possession or attempted distribution of controlled substances, prostitution, possession of drug paraphernalia, trespassing, open container, public urination, minor traffic offenses, and vagabondage. The announcement said the new steps grew out of an […]
Category: Drug offenses
Article: Florida Air Travelers’ Cash May Be Seized if They Smell Wrong
If your travel plans include flying out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, you’d be well-advised to make sure your clothes don’t have a lingering odor of marijuana. That’s because the police there has a habit of screening departing airport passengers for that telltale aroma, and when they detect it, relieving those passengers of the cash they’re […]
Article: Enlisting Jails in the Fight against Opioid Addiction
The National Sheriffs’ Association estimates between one-half to two-thirds of inmates in county jails nationwide have a problem with drug dependence or abuse. In some areas, local law enforcement says, the rates are higher. As a result, many county jails have found themselves transformed into some of the biggest drug treatment centers in their areas. […]
Article: New York City Council Would Limit Pre-Hire Cannabis Tests
The New York City Council has passed two bills that, if signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, would cut back on testing for marijuana use persons seeking employment, parole or probation, becoming the content for the New York City Drug Testing Law. One measure (Intro. No. 1445), approved on April 9, would forbid most New […]
Article: What does a criminal defense attorney tell his children about Marijuana laws in New York?
Smoking weed has always been a topic parents have to broach with their kids at some point. It used to be easier – the law was very clear, just say no. But with the legal landscape around the New York State Marijuana laws changing so rapidly, and the availability of not just weed, but also […]
Article: Misconduct by Crime Lab, Prosecutors Voids Over 6,000 Drug Convictions
Massachusetts district attorneys have decided to dismiss more than 6,000 drug crime convictions, due to misconduct by a drug lab chemist and two ex-state prosecutors. Sonja Farak worked for about nine years as a chemist for state Department of Public Health crime labs, most of that time at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, in […]
Article: House Judiciary Would Give DOJ Broad Powers to Ban New Drugs
A bill cleared by the House Judiciary Committee on July 12 would amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSRA) to make it simpler and faster to ban new synthetic versions of already banned drugs, such as fentanyl, a fast-spreading synthetic opioid; K2 (also known as “spice”), a synthetic version of cannabis; and bath salts, a synthetic […]
Article: Glazed Doughnut Leads to Florida Man’s Arrest on Drug Charges
From time to time, you may have treated yourself to a delicious Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut – but after you hear of a Orlando man’s experience last year with police in that city, you may want to rethink that indulgence, at least when you’re visiting that Florida vacation spot. Shortly after driving away from a […]
Article: High Court Rebuffs States’ Attack on Colorado’s Pot Legalization
The US Supreme Court, by a 6-2 margin, has thrown out a challenge to Colorado’s marijuana legalization brought by neighboring states Oklahoma and Nebraska. The high court has original jurisdiction to hear lawsuits in controversies among states. As is usually the case when it declines to take a case, the Court did not issue an […]
Article: DOJ Stops Sharing Federal Asset Seizures with State, Local Police
Shortly before Christmas, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it was suspending a program which allows state and local law enforcement agencies to claim part of the assets seized in federal law enforcement cases. Known as DOJ’s “equitable sharing” program, the somewhat controversial practice lets state and local law enforcers stake a claim under […]