Category Archives: Drug Crimes
Can I Be Deported for DUI?
“Florida has long been home to a large number of immigrants, many of whom hail from the Caribbean. One in five residents in the state is an immigrant, together making up more than a fourth of Florida’s labor force. As workers, business owners, taxpayers, and neighbors, immigrants are an integral part of Florida’s diverse… Read More »
Smoking Medical Marijuana is Now Legal in Florida
In March 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation repealing a ban on smokable cannabis in Florida. Medical marijuana patients can now obtain 2.5 ounces of flower-based cannabis every 35 days. Patients younger than 18 years of age are allowed to smoke medicinal pot if they have a terminal condition and get a pediatrician’s second… Read More »
How a Drug Dealer Gets Caught By Law Enforcement
The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), spends nearly $15 billion a year on investigating drug crimes. State and local police spend about $25 billion investigating similar drug offenses. With an annual total of $40 billion, about $500 is spent per second investigating drug crimes in the U.S. The DEA collaborates with the FBI,… Read More »
What to Do If You Are Charged with a Drug Crime
Although the Florida Office of Drug Control says that over $300 million has been invested in drug control programs statewide, there were still 1,553 arrests for drug-related offenses in Bay County in 2013. In fact, illegal possession of controlled substances are of special concern to law enforcement. According to The Office of Drug Control,… Read More »
What Amendment 2 Means for Florida’s Marijuana Laws
This November, Florida is on schedule to vote on a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. Though past initiatives have been narrowly voted down, experts are optimistic that the measure, named Amendment 2, will pass by the required supermajority. Many counties have already begun preparing for legalization’s likely victory in November, moving toward decriminalizing possession… Read More »
Statement to Law Enforcement
If you encounter law enforcement this holiday season, or in the future, it is important to know and exercise your rights. Please save this Statement to Law Enforcement Exercising Your Rights to your phone, or print it to keep on you at all times. You never know when you may need it. All of… Read More »
Search & Seizure – Part 2: Know Your Rights!
If you don’t know your rights, you cannot exercise them to protect yourself. In part two of our blog on search and seizure, I will focus on street encounters with law enforcement. As a criminal defense attorney people always ask me about their rights if an officer comes up to them on the street… Read More »
Search & Seizure – Part 1: Just Say “No” to Searches
Do you understand your Fourth Amendment right against unlawful searches and seizures? Few people do, and law enforcement often takes advantage of the average person’s ignorance regarding their rights and uses it to perform searches, gather evidence and build cases against them when they would otherwise be unable to do so. In this blog… Read More »
Defending Mentally Ill Criminal Clients
As a criminal lawyer practicing in St. Augustine, Florida, I defend many clients charged with drug possession crimes or violations of drug offender probation. During my initial meeting with a new client, I focus primarily on the events surrounding their arrest. A clear understanding of the facts allows me to determine what additional investigation… Read More »
St. Augustine Prepares for Legal Marijuana
As states across the country have legalized marijuana for both medical and recreational usage, St. Augustine City Commissioners have begun developing ordinances allowing the sale of low-THC marijuana. While Amendment 2 legalizing cannabis was not passed in Florida, the Senate legalized low-THC marijuana according to the “Compassionate use of low-THC cannabis” law. As this… Read More »
