Drugs

Your kid made a mistake. Maybe they’re caught with a little weed, or maybe it’s worse. Pills? Paraphernalia? Whatever it is, you’re now standing on ground that feels shaky and unfamiliar. What’s going to happen? Are their plans derailed? Is this mistake going to haunt them forever? It’s hard to know what to think, but…

If you pay attention to the news, you’ve probably heard a lot about fentanyl. Fentanyl is at the center of the opioid crisis sweeping across the United States. Here in Maryland, the situation is especially concerning. Overdose rates are climbing, and the state has taken aggressive steps to crack down on fentanyl-related crimes. The DEA…

Maryland drug diversion programs offer alternatives to incarceration for individuals facing criminal charges due to substance use disorders. These programs are designed to provide treatment and support instead of traditional criminal penalties. When are drug diversions available to offenders in Maryland? There are some circumstances under which drug diversion programs may be considered as alternatives…

With the start of the new school year in September 2023, students, teachers, and parents need to understand how Maryland’s new recreational marijuana law applies. Fundamentally, anyone who attends a school, works in a school, or provides daycare services needs to understand that there are state laws and there are educational regulations. Violations of the…

Field sobriety tests (FSTs) have long been utilized by law enforcement to detect alcohol impairment in drivers. However, with the recent legalization of marijuana in Maryland, concerns arise regarding the potential use of similar tests for marijuana impairment on drivers. Given the flaws in the long-used field sobriety tests for alcohol impairment, we should question…

A drug conviction carries much more than just immediate legal penalties. Beyond things like fines, probation, or prison time, individuals convicted of drug crimes can face what’s called “collateral consequences.” These can have a significant effect on one’s life. Collateral consequences, which can extend long beyond a direct sentence, can affect various aspects of your…

Possession of small amounts of marijuana used to be illegal in Maryland. The good news is that voters in the November 2022 election decided that enough was enough, approving a ballot question to make it legal for adults 21 and over to possess, smoke, and grow recreational marijuana. The ballot initiative applies to the possession…

Different states have different rules for use and possession of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. The differences can make it hard to understand your rights if you travel to different states for work, for pleasure, or to visit friends and family. Do you need to take your medical marijuana card with you? Does it matter…

Prescription drugs are intended for use by which only the person they are prescribed. However, sometimes that person shares their medication with another. This act brings the question of whether a person can go to prison for sharing prescription drugs. Many Maryland residents are under the impression that if they obtain medications from a relative,…

The pandemic has been difficult for all of us. A new and contagious virus combined with the solitude of staying at home to avoid catching it makes our lives different and more complicated than they have been in the past. It makes sense that many of us are seeking outlets to escape the situations that…

In order to be subjected to a search, police need probable cause; otherwise, it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. For years, law enforcement officers in Maryland have used the odor of marijuana as their probable cause to search someone. The Maryland Court of Appeals issued another ruling recently that puts an end to…

In 2015, a young woman named Jamie Maynard gave a small amount of heroin to an acquaintance, Courtney Penix, who later overdosed and died. Maynard was not a dealer or trafficker, but an addict trying to help out another addict. As authorities investigated, Maynard found herself swept up in the prosecution’s zeal to punish everyone…

The phrase “chain of custody” commonly refers to the proper preservation of tangible evidence that is used in trial. The burden is placed on the prosecution to show, every step of the way, that the evidence that is seized or taken is properly preserved. The prosecution needs to show that nobody was able to tamper…

The Baltimore Sun reported that a Maryland woman was charged with trying to smuggle hundreds of strips of a drug that treats opioid addiction into the Eastern Correctional Institution on the Eastern Shore. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services says they saw her “toss two blue packages containing the drugs [buprenorphine] over the…

Prescription opioids are powerful pain killers which are used to treat moderate to severe pain and are often prescribed following surgery or injury or for cancer pain according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For the past few years, as pharmaceutical companies have pushed their products on physicians to prescribe these…

The Baltimore Sun recently reported that Marilyn Mosby, the city’s state’s attorney, will no longer prosecute people for possessing marijuana, regardless of the amount of or their prior criminal history. Ms. Mosby also is asking the courts to vacate nearly 5,000 convictions for marijuana possession. She said the reason for this move is that she…