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Virginia marijuana law update – Expanding CBD & THC-A oils to all ailments

Virginia criminal attorney for Fairfax County, Arlington, Prince William, Loudoun, Alexandria & Beyond

Fairfax criminal lawyer top rated by key lawyer reviewers AVVO & Martindale-Hubbell

Virginia marijuana law update – Fairfax criminal lawyer on expanding CBD & THC-A oils to all ailments

Fairfax criminal lawyer on Virginia legislature’s unanimous approval for expanding CBD & THC-A oils to all ailments

Virginia marijuana law is woefully behind neighboring District of Columbia and Maryland, which both do not criminalize possession of personal amounts of marijuana (but D.C. still criminalizes smoking marijuana in public). As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that Virginia police overemphasize ferreting out marijuana not only for prosecuting under Virginia marijuana laws, but also as an excuse to use discovery of marijuana or its odor to then search for possibly even more serious contraband.

Virginia marijuana law is stingy for medical marijuana but may expand this year for CBD & THC-A oils

The states are many that permit marijuana use for various ailments while Virginia lags far behind. Nonetheless, I cheer the positive movement forward with the February 2, 2018 unanimous Virginia House of Delegates passage House Bill 1251 and the February 5, 2018, unanimous Virginia Senate passage of duplicate Senate Bill 726 to expand to all health ailments (rather than only epilepsy) the “affirmative defense that the individual possessed [CBD or THC-A] oil pursuant to a valid written certification issued by a practitioner in the course of his professional practice…” This legislation is bound to become law this year, seeing that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a physician, has stated his support of Let Doctors Decide medical marijuana laws.

To be sure, as a Fairfax criminal lawyer I see this legislation is no huge step, because it is limited to CBD and THC-A oil rather than to all forms of marijuana, and also because the legislation creates an affirmative defense against a Virginia marijuana possession prosecution rather than a bar to a prosecution. Nonetheless, this legislation is remarkable for having passed the state senate unanimously, and is an important incremental step forward towards bringing Virginia in the future fully into the medical marijuana fold, followed by future movement to decriminalize pot in Virginia.

Legalize marijuana.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan L. Katz has since 1991 successfully defended hundreds of marijuana and other drug defendants, as well as over 3,000 people charged with felonies and misdemeanors. To schedule a confidential consultation with Jon, please contact his staff at 703-383-1100.

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Very impressed by his experience, expertise and the efforts he takes to remain on the cutting edge of his legal specialty

I saw Jon present at a national educational seminar last month. I was very impressed by his experience, expertise and the efforts he takes to remain on the cutting edge of his legal specialty.

Tim Semelroth
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He was masterful in his strategy

Jon Katz represented me in a case where I was charged with speeding, failure to comply and DUI. I felt strongly that I was improperly stopped as I was paced at only a few miles over the speed limit. Jon was straight forward that this was a slim margin chance of victory yet fought hard to prove this point. He was masterful in his strategy and more importantly in his cross examination of the officer and challenging the prosecutor. They were no match for his knowledge of the law and his ability to convince the judge it was an improper stop resulting in acquittals on all charges. He is an excellent attorney and all around great guy who even gave me a ride to the airport.

J.
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He runs a meticulous outfit, and his support staff was excellent.

FAIRFAX CRIMINAL LAWYER I met Jon two days ago. He had started driving from Fairfax at six in the morning – crossing nearly the entire state to defend me in a small town that looked like it was frozen in the nineteen-forties.

The town looked like a set for Mississippi Burning. There were some beautiful buildings – but it also seemed menacing. I had been charged in this small town, and had spent months trying to arrange an adequate legal defense – from my home in Miami.

When I was first charged, I was overwhelmed by the situation. I then did what you are doing now: looked thru online reviews for the best lawyer for my case. Jon fit the bill so I called him. Since then, it has been several weeks of intense back and forth with him. He runs a meticulous outfit, and his support staff was excellent. They worked very hard to collect and compile all the useful documents. Everything worked. No mistakes.

I had multiple phone conversations with Jon, but, because of the long distance, had not met him in person. The court date was two days ago. I had arranged to meet Jon in a diner a few blocks from the courthouse. Before Jon arrived, I was in pretty bad shape. I had made a series of stupid mistakes, which had led to the charges, and I understood that, if things didn’t break my way – I was facing serious prison time. Jon walked into the diner, and sat down across from me. He has more than a passing resemblance to Bobby Kennedy. He also has something rare: Star Power. People in the diner, and later in the courthouse, followed him with their eyes. He is a person who immediately meets your eyes, and holds the eye contact. It was like suddenly being in a John Grisham movie, and you are on the side of the angels. Think of it like having Gus Grissom from CSI Las Vegas, sit down across from you at a diner- and he says he can help you. Jon ordered a black coffee and lifted two huge brown paper binders on to the table. He carefully flipped thru pages that he and his staff had organized with tabs. He had all my important defense documents immediately accessible.

Jon and I walked a few blocks to the courthouse. The sky was a steely overcast slate grey. We went thru the security guards with their holstered Glocks. He went thru some heavy doors to talk to the Prosecutor. The court doors then opened and we were directed to approach the bench. The prosecutor was an attractive woman, in a perfectly tailored outfit. She started talking to the Judge and seemed to be advocating FOR ME! I don’t fully understand what happened, but Jon had arranged for the case to be amended downwards, and then an on the spot dismissal with no guilty plea, no conviction, and several thousand dollar fines were reduced to a hundred dollar court cost.

We left the Courthouse – back into the worn brick town. He drove me to my hotel in his vintage sport’s car. I was left standing there outside my hotel on a cold January day in rural Virginia. My life had changed in a matter of hours. Jon had saved my life.

K. H.
Source: Google

Virginia marijuana law update – Expanding CBD & THC-A oils to all ailments

Virginia criminal attorney for Fairfax County, Arlington, Prince William, Loudoun, Alexandria & Beyond

Fairfax criminal lawyer top rated by key lawyer reviewers AVVO & Martindale-Hubbell

Fairfax criminal lawyer on Virginia legislature’s unanimous approval for expanding CBD & THC-A oils to all ailments

Virginia marijuana law is stingy for medical marijuana but may expand this year for CBD & THC-A oils

Jon Katz Practices in the Following Courts and Beyond