There is a knock at the door. It is the police and they have come to take you house away from you. Civil forfeiture is a tool used by drug cops to generate huge revenue for sometimes-minor offenses including cultivation of marijuana. Maitland, Florida tried to take a residential property under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture…
Continue reading ›Cops and communities have a new contest – let’s see how much stuff we can take from citizens using civil forfeiture, even though they are not convicted criminals. These cops gone wild seize cash and assets then post “trophy shots” of money. Some police advocate highway interdiction as a way of raising revenue for cash-strapped…
Continue reading ›A Florida Drug case just answered two questions: 1) Can the Color of a Vehicle be the Probable Cause for a Traffic Stop? 2) Can cops invent creative reasons to pull you over? Traffic Stop Facts The case began when the cops were looking for a reason to pull a vehicle over and the driver…
Continue reading ›Trafficking in these 6 drugs constitutes 97 percent of Federal Drug Prosecutions. How does the DEA, law enforcement, and Federal Prosecutions impact drug trafficking? Sometimes these policy choices impact society in ways that are counter-intuitive. When the focus goes to synthetic opioids like oxycodone, the natural substitute, trafficking in heroin spikes. Recent data shows that…
Continue reading ›How and why do we lead the world in per capita number of people in prison? The war on citizens, also known as the war on drugs continues in United States District Courts across the country. The presumptive punishment for almost every drug trafficking case is incarceration. The numbers are in for the most recent…
Continue reading ›Pinellas County Drug Court Defense Attorney and former prosecutor is frequently asked several questions. Drug Court is an 18 month supervision program with Department of Corrections / Drug Pre-Trial Intervention. This is also a 12 to 18 month treatment program with treatment offered by DACCO. Upon successful completion of the treatment program and Drug Pre-Trial…
Continue reading ›Can Police refuse to accept a Florida Medical Marijuana Patient Card? Under current Florida Drug Laws: Florida Statute 893.13.6(b) If law enforcement confronts a citizen for possession of cannabis, they can and do make an arrest. The issue may arise what if the office wants to ignore the possession of a valid medical marijuana card…
Continue reading ›Florida Marijuana Cooperative Under current Florida Drug Laws: Florida Statute 893.13.6(b) If someone or a group conspire to cultivate marijuana, a person commits a felony. Possession or cultivation of marijuana are both felonies with forfeiture provisions for the tools and property where the cultivation occurs. Under my proposed Florida Medical Marijuana Law: Qualified patients, persons…
Continue reading ›How Much Marijuana Could be Possessed? Under current Florida Drug Laws: Florida Statute 893.13.6(b) If someone is in possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis, a person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree. More than 20 grams or distribution or sale or possession of marijuana are all felonies. Possession or cultivation of…
Continue reading ›What are the Responsibilities of a Florida Marijuana Dispensary?This series or articles continues with our 10th installment and explores how Marijuana Laws in the Florida Statutes might be changed should the voters, the courts, and/or the legislature be so inclined. Here are some issues that will outline what are the Responsibilities of a Florida Marijuana…
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