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Converting a 40-plant marijuana felony charge to a half-ounce misdemeanor
Image from public domain. In late 2006, I blogged about getting a thirty-plant Maryland marijuana felony prosecution reduced to a simple marijuana possession conviction, and a medical marijuana sentence of a $100 fine plus court costs, which ultimately was converted to a probation before judgment. ...
Virginia Drug Lawyer Cautions on CBD After the Farm Bill – Cannabis Law
Virginia drug law is tough on defendants. As a Fairfax drug lawyer, I know that merely possessing a Schedule I or II drug is Class 5 felony carrying up to ten years in prison. Marijuana possession remains a misdemeanor jailable up to thirty days, with...
Virginia Cannabis Prosecutions Do Not Require Proving THC level
Virginia cannabis prosecutions are many fewer now that personal possession of an ounce or less of marijuana is no longer a crime in the commonwealth. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer and Virginia drug attorney, I know that marijuana selling of any quantity of marijuana --...
Mary Jane When Not a VA Crime – Fairfax Criminal Lawyer on it’s Side Risks
Mary Jane / marijuana / reefer post-July 1, 2020 use and possession is now a Virginia civil offense carrying a $25 fine. However, as a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that marijuana use can continue to be a security clearance and immigration issue, and its...
Toking pot as a civil offense- Fairfax criminal defense lawyer weighs in
Toking pot is popular with millions of people. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that Virginia's governor has approved legislation decriminalizing marijuana, with a few minor recommended amendments. Virginia SB 2. July 1, 2020 is the default date for new Virginia legislation to...
Risking crossing into states with handguns & pot – 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...
At NoVa NORML – Discussing Police, Weed and You – Your Liberty in the Balance
It always is all the more an honor when a NORML chapter invites me to speak at one of their gatherings. My most recent such speaking engagement was at the Northern Virginia NORML's August 9 meeting in Arlington, Virginia. There, my talk on marijuana reform...
Police are on high alert during holiday weekends – Caveat emptor
NOTE: Police are on high alert during holiday weekends with extra humanpower on the streets. This Memorial Day/unofficial start-of-summer will be beautiful and filled with merriment., and the police will be on the lookout for arrests to make. You can have fun this weekend without ending up...
BBC TV news interviews me about a Briton arrested on a plane
By Jon Katz, a criminal defense lawyer and DWI/ DUI/ Drunk Driving lawyer advocating in Fairfax County, Virginia, and beyond for the best possible results for his clients. Earlier this week, Briton Sean Jude Kelly’s allegedly drunken and “let’s fight” behavior on a plane returning...
I’ve been suspected/stopped/arrested. Now what? Thanksgiving weekend edition
Holiday time means more police on the lookout for people to arrest to meet their arrest quotas perceived obligations to the public. Watch out for speed traps, sobriety checkpoints, police watching for easy targets leaving bars, and more. Long ago, I lost track of the...