Risking crossing into states with handguns & pot – Fairfax criminal lawyer

Risking coming to Virginia with marijuana or hash oil, or outbound with handguns brings serious prosecution exposure, says Fairfax criminal lawyer

Risking bringing marijuana into Virginia or handguns out of the commonwealth brings serious prosecution exposure. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that such behavior is common in the Northern Virginia / Capital Beltway region, where one can find himself or herself in a different state within a matter of seconds. sometimes even mistakenly, particularly for tourists and other temporary visitors. On top of that, bringing such items across state lines or onto the countless federal government properties in the Beltway area can risk federal prosecution.

Fairfax criminal lawyer on the lack of reciprocity for risking bringing lawfully possessed handguns out of Virginia, and lawfully possessed marijuana into Virginia

As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that Virginia is a paradise for firearms and weapons owners (and where the National Rifle Association/ NRA is headquartered), where it is lawful to openly carry a handgun (with limitations) without needing a permit to do so, and where concealed carry permits are liberally issued. However, the neighboring Free State and nation’s capital to the north do not give reciprocity to such Virginia handgun liberality, and the law and state prosecutors in those jurisdictions can seek to hammer people risking unlawfully possessing handguns.

Fairfax criminal defense lawyer warns about bringing store-bought marijuana and medical marijuana from the nation’s capital and the Free State

Numerous of my Virginia clients charged with offenses involving marijuana and hashish oil / dabs / wax / THC vape pens at first giddily obtained their stash from one of the many stores in the nation’s capital that purport to sell a sticker or some other cheap piece of merchandise in exchange for “gifting” the customer’s selected strains and quantities of pot. D.C. law okays possessing up to two ounces of pot, and the Free State to the north makes possession of under ten grams of pot only a civil offense. On top of that, both jurisdictions make cannabis easily available at medical marijuana dispensaries. None of that matters under the law of Virginia, where risking mere hash oil possession is a felony, and marijuana gets prosecuted even for one gram or less.

Fairfax criminal attorney on remembering federalism before transporting guns and pot across state lines

As much as the federal government wields extraordinary central power, federalism and states rights still let each state decide a broad range of activities to criminalize. A wise handgun or pot possessor scours every pocket of clothing, every corner of containers, and throughout one’s automobile rather than risking unlawfully crossing state lines with such items.

Fairfax criminal defense lawyer Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best defense against felony, misdemeanor and DUI prosecutions. To discuss your case with Jon Katz, please call his staff at 703-383-1100 to schedule a confidential consultation.