Recent Blog Posts
Will You Get Drug Charges If You Have an Empty Canister of Whip Cream in Your Car?
The drugs listed on various schedules in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act are there because their potential for abuse is at least as great as their potential for beneficial use. The drugs on Schedules II through V have accepted medical uses but can only be dispensed by prescription or administered by medical professionals. … Read More »
While Researchers Investigate the Therapeutic Potential of Salvia Divinorum, the Plant Remains Illegal in Florida
The line between “drug” as in medicine and “drug” as in recreational drug use is blurry in many contexts. Many of the substances listed under the Controlled Substances Act have accepted medical uses. In fact, a major impetus for the legalization of medical cannabis was that many patients found it more therapeutic and less… Read More »
Man Gets 17-Year Prison Sentence After Receiving Shipment of Ecstasy Pills from the Netherlands
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution gives defendants in criminal cases the right not to make statements that would incriminate them. The “right to remain silent” clause in the Miranda warnings read to defendants upon their arrest refers to this right. The purpose of giving defendants the right to remain silent is… Read More »
Now That Needle Exchanges Are Legal in Florida, Can You Still Get Arrested for Possession of Syringes?
Across the spectrum, American voters are increasingly showing awareness that drugs are not a bogeyman, and people who use legally prohibited drugs are not the bogeyman’s minions to be feared and punished mercilessly. Based on the referendums that have passed in red states, blue states, and swing states recently, the consensus is that adults… Read More »
The Bystander Opioid Overdose Myth: The New Reefer Madness
When you were in elementary school, you were in constant danger of getting contaminated if an opposite-gender classmate touched you. The only antidote to this contamination was to have a classmate of your same gender administer a “cootie shot” by drawing two circles and two dots on your arm with their finger. As human… Read More »
Judge Sentences Defendant to 70 Months in Prison for Small Scale Online Drug Trafficking Operation
How much time, if any, you will have to spend in prison for a drug conviction depends on many factors. Plea deals can make a big difference. Prior convictions are also an important factor. Old drug convictions can come back to haunt you if you get new drug possession charges. For this reason, many… Read More »
Fort Pierce Man Arrested for Distributing Drug Mixture Including Fentanyl
Fentanyl causes more overdose deaths than any other opioid, largely because people do not realize that they are taking it. It is much stronger than heroin, but much less expensive. Because of its potency and low cost, drug dealers often mix it with other drugs, such that people who intend to take a less… Read More »
Despite Criticism by Voting Rights Groups, Court Rules That Floridians Must Pay All Fines Imposed by Criminal Courts Before Reinstating Their Voting Rights
When a judge hands down a prison sentence at your sentencing hearing, a cascade of fears floods your mind. Isolation from family and friends. Getting in fights every day until the bullies stop picking on you. The awful food. You don’t think about it as soon as you find out your sentence, but the… Read More »
Reality TV Star’s Drug Possession Case Shows How Addiction Can Cause a Domino Effect of Legal Problems
You have probably heard the horrifying stories of people being handed life sentences for nonviolent crimes, such as Leandro Andrade, the California man who got two 25-to-life sentences for stealing VHS tapes from K-Mart and Rose Ann Davidson, the Texas woman handed a life sentence after six DUIs, none of which caused an accident. … Read More »
Drug Paraphernalia Laws in Florida: Can You Go to Jail Just Because You Own Spoons?
Let us take a moment to marvel at the word “paraphernalia.” This darling of spelling bee hopefuls has a delightfully ambiguous meaning. Its dictionary meaning is something along the lines of “items and equipment needed for a particular activity.” No matter what hobby you have taken up during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it is… Read More »
