Drug Possession

Posted in Drug Possession, General on July 26, 2017

Everyone is aware of the opioid crisis and significant increase in overdose deaths in the United States. The Pennsylvania legislature has tried to encourage people to call for medical assistance for people that were suffering from an overdose by passing a law that was supposed to protect both the caller and the person suffering from an… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

While many states have de-criminalized or even legalized marijuana, it is still illegal in Pennsylvania and under federal law. Many people wonder why the federal government does not prosecute people in states like Colorado where marijuana is openly sold and used because of the state law legalizing pot. Years ago, the Department of Justice issued… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

For those that don’t know, DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and was an anti-drug program created in the 1980’s under the Reagan Administration’s War on Drugs. The program has been taught to elementary and high school students by law enforcement officers since then. You can imagine that the police would seek volunteers from… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

According to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, a Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney was representing a client charged with drug possession and other offenses at a suppression hearing before an Allegheny County judge, and the lawyer questioned her client’s wife about a small wooden box. The wife admitted that the box was hers, and upon opening the… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

I thought that I had heard of almost everything, but a state correctional inmate receiving a marijuana delivery while working on a road crew was a new one. A Florida inmate was working with other inmates when a black Dodge Charger drove by and something was tossed out the window. The inmate picked up the… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

Massachusetts recently repealed a law that had been on the books for almost 30 years which imposed a license suspension for drug possession crimes even though the offenses had nothing to do with driving or a vehicle. According to a Boston Herald article, the legislation was actually supported by law enforcement and passed unanimously by… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

Another Pennsylvania county has recognized that rehabilitative and therapeutic courts are a great way to treat addiction and thereby reduce recidivism. While drug addiction has always been a problem, the type of people who are becoming addicted is changing. Addiction has often been viewed as primarily affecting the lower class of citizens, but more and… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

When someone references a “Good Samaritan” law, I am reminded of the Seinfeld episode that put the group behind bars because they failed to help a person that was in trouble. The law in the show required a person to render aid, and the failure to help was a crime. In reality, Good Samaritan laws… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

According to a Palm Beach Post article, a Florida woman, who had been arrested for suspicion of DUI, was handcuffed and seated in the police cruiser when marijuana evidence that had been found in the woman’s car disappeared from the police cruiser. The officer is quoted as saying “bags of weed just don’t go missing… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

I am sure that many people have seen that Philadelphia is in the process of de-criminalizing the possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana for personal use. Decriminalization does not mean that marijuana possession is now completely legal in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania laws that prohibit the possession of marijuana for personal use are still valid… view more