As of March 1, a new federal law made the possession or sale of the chemicals that comprise what is known as fake pot or synthetic marijuana illegal, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. The product, which often goes by the names K2, spice or blaze, simulates the effects of…
The United States and Florida Constitutions protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by police. One example where the police will stop and search someone is when they receive an anonymous tip of criminal activity. However, anonymous tips alone are not enough to justify a search and seizure of a…
Most people who are familiar with medical privacy laws know that a person’s medical records are confidential and can only be disclosed with the patient’s permission or under other limited circumstances. However, records of prescriptions for controlled substances (such as Oxycodone and Oxycontin) do not share the same privacy protections.…
In Florida, particularly northeast Florida, methamphetamine possession, sale, manufacturing and trafficking cases are on the rise. Local police and federal agents are looking out for various meth labs and making many arrests of those who are involved, either directly by participating in the manufacture of methamphetamine or indirectly by merely…
In a recent case outside of Jacksonville, Florida, the police began investigating a suspect after they saw his vehicle outside of a hydroponic retail store. The police tracked the suspect’s license plate to his house where they saw the vehicle parked. The house windows were covered with blinds, and there…
The law regarding searches and seizures recently changed removing a fairly common justification for police to search a person’s vehicle after he/she has been arrested. Prior to the change in the law, police officers could search a person’s vehicle after arresting him/her for a crime in or near the vehicle.…
Each person in Florida has a Constitutionally protected right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures. If a police officer has probable cause to believe a person is committing a crime, the police officer may be able to stop a person and conduct a search. However, when the officer…
A woman working at a hospice in Jacksonville, Florida was recently arrested by Jacksonville police for allegedly stealing prescription pills and morphine from her employer, according to an article on News4Jax.com. The woman is charged with drug trafficking and illegal drug possession. The woman was an LPN (licensed practical nurse)…
Police and prosecutors throughout Florida have significantly increased their attention on drug possession, distribution and trafficking crimes relating to pills (such as Oxycontin, Xanax, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and many others) as opposed to more traditional drug crimes involving marijuana, cocaine, crack and heroin. New laws in Florida have been enacted to…
Police in Putnam County, Florida (which is about an hour south of Jacksonville, Florida) found a large indoor marijuana grow house after a vehicle crashed through a fence at the house, according to an article on News4Jax.com. Police arrived to investigate the crash and smelled the marijuana. At that point,…