Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Florida Methylone Laws
For about a decade, the media has been warning of the dangers of a drug called “molly,” which may or may not be the same thing as MDMA, which may or may not be the same thing as “ecstasy.” Especially when it comes to pills and powders sold on the Internet, it is hard… Read More »
Beware Of Drug-Free Zones
When you were in high school, you probably saw “drug-free zone” signs posted on the doors and walls of the school. In elementary school and middle school, you took these signs for granted and barely noticed them, but when you were in high school, once you had discovered drugs, the signs were hilarious. You… Read More »
A Drug Possession Conviction Can Wreak Havoc On Your Finances
When the police pull you over and search your car for drugs, your mind races with ways that the drug charges that will inevitably result will mess with your plans for the immediate future. But my grandparents’ 50th anniversary party is this weekend! But I have to pick up my kids from my ex’s… Read More »
Sixteen Defendants Plead Guilty In Cocaine And Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy Case
In criminal cases that reach the stage where the defendant must enter a plea, more than 90 percent of them plead guilty. If you have never been charged with a crime, you might think that pleading not guilty is the only reasonable option. Why would anyone confess to a crime if they had the… Read More »
FDA Imposes Stricter Rules For Importation Of Xylazine
One of the scariest things about illegal drugs is that you can never be sure what you are buying on the street or on the Internet or what the forensics lab will find in the zip top bag of white powder that the police confiscated from a traffic stop. A major reason that fentanyl… Read More »
What Causes Prosecutors To Elect Not To Prosecute Drug Cases?
When you get arrested on suspicion of drug offenses, it does not automatically mean that you will be charged with a crime. Your case can only move forward if prosecutors file charges against you, and the decision of whether to pursue that goal belongs to the prosecutors and not the judges. It is the… Read More »
Federal Agency Declares Delta-8 THC A Controlled Substance
No matter how much or how little weed you smoke, everyone can agree that cannabis laws, in their current state, are confusing and inconsistent. The current patchwork of local and state regulations regarding marijuana, hemp, THC oil, cannabis edibles, CBD products, sativa, indica, and all the rest of it are preferable to an all-out… Read More »
Miami-Dade County Man Gets 78 Months In Prison For Distributing Methamphetamine In Bradenton
In some ways, drug laws are arbitrary, but in other ways, it is possible to make strategic arguments that can reliably influence the outcome of your case. As for arbitrariness, the classification of drugs into Schedule I controlled substances (always illegal) and Schedules II through V (pharmaceutical drugs that carry a considerable risk of… Read More »
You Can Still Get In Serious Legal Trouble For Ketamine Possession, Even As Research On Its Therapeutic Uses Continues
From a medical perspective, substance use disorder is a mental illness; the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the most authoritative textbook on psychiatry, categorizes it as such. Meanwhile, since there is so much variety in the substances to which one can become addicted, there is not one single medication that can… Read More »
A Litany Of Flimsy Excuses Leads To A Drug Trafficking Arrest
Many drug crime arrests happen because police officers meddle in defendants’ business more than necessary. During a traffic stop, police can come up with a variety of reasons, each more subjective than the last, about why they need to search your car. Perhaps a harmless item in the center console of your car, such… Read More »
