Recent Blog Posts
Seven Hydroxy, a Potent New Derivative of Kratom
A lot has changed since the 1990s, when smoke shops bore signs certifying that the water pipes they sold were “for tobacco only.” Today, not only can you buy an array of cannabis products, but you can also buy an array of plants and fungi with known psychoactive properties, the kinds of drugs that… Read More »
Do Emojis on a Dating App Mean Drug Crime?
Dating apps are a hotbed of ambiguity, confusion, and frustration. It is hard enough to tell if someone is flirting with you when you interact in real life. Is he smiling because he likes you, or is it because you can both hear the ice cream truck tinkling “Turkey in the Straw” in the… Read More »
Can You Get Your Charges Dropped, Even If You Are Being Accused of a Major Drug Crime?
Old folks are constantly telling young people to be careful about the company they keep, because it is possible to get in trouble simply for associating with someone who committed a crime. On the other hand, wanting to be only one degree of separation from celebrities has become a national obsession. The fact that… Read More »
Sale of Counterfeit Pills
You know you are doing well financially when the amount of money in your possession is 1,000 times your age. Financial planners often say that your goal should be to retire with $1 million in retirement savings, but this is clearly aspirational content; no one has that kind of money, not in today’s economy. … Read More »
Marijuana Charges Are More Serious When Your Stash of Weed Tests Positive for Fentanyl
Getting caught with weed when you are a minor, or when you are a young adult in a jurisdiction in Florida that has not yet legalized recreational cannabis possession, does not always turn out to be a big deal. If you are young enough, you might go through the juvenile justice system, where the… Read More »
When Is Drug Crime Simply a Symptom of Addiction, and When Is It Something Worse?
A life of ease protects you from most situations in which people break the law. Poverty, abuse, and other sources of chronic stress make people more vulnerable to using illicit drugs for the first time and for becoming addicted. Once drugs enter the picture, people sometimes find themselves doing things they previously thought contrary… Read More »
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Can Lead to Worse Charges
Conventional wisdom says that, as long as the quantity of illicit drugs in your possession is small, the resulting criminal charges will not be a big deal, but this does not tell the whole story. Yes, the quantity of drugs can be the deciding factor in whether you face charges for simple possession or… Read More »
What Is Nexus, the Latest Synthetic Psychedelic Drug in Florida’s Drug Supply?
At first glance, there is nothing extraordinary about Elijah Barney’s case. Barney is 20 years old, and he is facing felony drug charges for selling drugs to an undercover police officer in November 2024. As in so many cases like these, Barney communicated with the officer by phone and agreed to sell him drugs,… Read More »
Four Family Members Arrested in Polk County Drug Bust
If you look for them, you can find scenarios where the courts have acted as though family is an antidote to illicit drug use, and in ideal circumstances, it is. Judges in pretrial diversion programs have ordered defendants facing charges to live with their parents. Living with one’s parents can also be a condition… Read More »
Florida Man Avoids Life Sentence in Case Involving Drug Delivery Resulting in Death
When people advocate for tougher penalties for drug crimes, they are usually doing it to get votes or to sublimate their violent fantasies. They seem to think that the only way to prevent drug crimes is through intimidation. Meanwhile, others advocate for resources to help people who have previously abused drugs stay sober or… Read More »
