Can You Call the Police When You Have Drugs in Your Possession?
Ten years after cannabis decriminalization initiatives began to gain traction, it is clear that legalizing weed was not a miraculous, peaceful resolution to the War on Drugs. It has protected people who use cannabis to manage chronic health conditions from constant harassment by police, and it has acknowledged that, like it or not, many adults use cannabis socially, just as many adults drink alcohol socially, and that anyone who is old enough to weigh the risks and benefits of doing so meaningfully is free to buy cannabis or alcohol from businesses licensed to sell them. Meanwhile, the less punitive trends in drug laws, including but not limited to those related to cannabis, have created legal ambiguities. For example, Good Samaritan laws aim to save the lives of drug overdose patients. Therefore, if you call 911 because someone who is with you is having overdose symptoms, the police will not arrest you for having drugs in your possession or because you truthfully tell the police that you were under the influence of drugs when the emergency happened. These are specific circumstances, though, and cannabis decriminalization does not absolve you from liability for all violations of the law. If you thought you were on firm legal ground because the only drug in your possession when you interacted with the police was weed, but now you are facing other criminal charges, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.
When Is Cannabis Theft a Crime?
In Florida, friendships are easy come, easy go. A woman named Lily met a man named Carlos, and for the next week, they were inseparable, smoking weed every day at a Best Western motel in Stuart. Their third companion was a grinder full of weed, which, by Lily’s estimation, had about $30 of cannabis in it. After Carlos left, Lily noticed that the grinder had about half a gram of weed less in it than had been the case the last time she had looked.
Upset at her friend’s betrayal, Lily called the police. When they arrived, she told them that half a gram of her stash of weed was missing, and she believed that Carlos had stolen it. The police entered Lily’s name into their devices as it appeared on her ID and found that she had two outstanding warrants; the Florida Man website did not indicate why the state had issued the previous warrants, but the police arrested Lily. Her best defense strategy will depend on the details of the other cases, but her innocence or guilt certainly will not depend on half a gram of weed. Since it is legal to buy cannabis simply by driving 30 minutes south from Stuart, a better strategy would just have been to buy more and not to get the police involved.
Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases
A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges after a call to the police about cannabis escalated into something worse. Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
floridaman.com/florida-woman-calls-911-over-stolen-weed-arrested-for-outstanding-warrants/
