Drug Crimes
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Is Mail Order Weed Legal?
You can shop online for groceries, clothes, electronics, and just about any other product you desire to purchase. You can order these products and have them delivered to your front door. Shopping online has become a convenient and efficient method of buying goods for many Americans. However, there are things that you should not or cannot purchase online. Marijuana is one of those products. Mail-order weed continues to be illegal in all 50 states. Why is Mail Order Marijuana Illegal? Ohio has not legalized marijuana for recreational use. Even if the state does legalize marijuana, it would still be illegal to order weed online. Marijuana that travels across state laws…
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Medical Marijuana May Be Cheaper in Michigan, But It’s a Crime to Bring the Drug Across State Lines
Medical marijuana is legal in Ohio. However, many medical marijuana patients purchase their medical marijuana from Michigan. Why? According to a news report in The Columbus Dispatch, patients can purchase medical marijuana for less in Michigan. According to one patient, medical marijuana costs twice as much in Ohio as it does in Michigan. Another patient claims that Michigan prices are still cheaper even when the factors in the travel costs. The cost of medical marijuana in Ohio should decrease once the industry has a chance to catch up with other states, according to officials. However, Michigan has a substantial head start compared to Ohio. Medical marijuana has been legal in…
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Columbus Judge dismisses Drug Analog case against prominent Columbus businessman
On February 19, 2014, two major Columbus drug trafficking cases filed against our client in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (cases 12 CR 3898 and 12 CR 5477) were dismissed on the grounds that the drugs at issue in the case, alleged “controlled substance analogs,” were not illegal to possess or sell under Ohio law at the time they were allegedly possessed and sold. Because of that ruling, our client, a prominent Columbus businessman, is no longer facing criminal charges. In August and October of 2012, our Columbus client was indicted by the Franklin County, Ohio grand jury for 15 felony counts of drug trafficking and drug possession. …
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State of Ohio v. C. H.: F-4 drug charge reduced to Misdemeanor
Our client, a 51-year-old Columbus man, was indicted on a fourth degree felony charge of possession of cocaine. He was caught red-handed by the Columbus police with a significant amount of cocaine, and $40.00 in marked “buy” money used by an undercover informant earlier that day to purchase cocaine from our client. After filing a well-reasoned motion to dismiss for statutory and constitutional reasons, the prosecutor decided to offer a plea to a misdemeanor. Our client ultimately pleaded guilty to a much reduced misdemeanor offense with no jail time, no probation, and no court costs. In this case, the reduction to a misdemeanor resulted from the motion to dismiss drafted…
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Does a Prior Conviction Disqualify You from Intervention-in-Lieu of Conviction Under Ohio Law?
Today I received a call from a person in Columbus, Ohio. He had a prior history of felony convictions for several drug possession and trafficking offenses. He is currently charged with a F-5 drug possession case. The question he asked was this: “Does my prior record of felony drug convictions disqualify me from avoiding a new conviction under Ohio’s intervention in lieu of conviction statute?” What Ohio Law Says Ohio Revised Code Section 2951.041(B)(1) disqualifies a person with a prior conviction of violence from receiving intervention-in-lieu of conviction, but allows a person with other non-violent felony convictions to receive intervention-in-lieu of conviction, but only if the prosecutor recommends in favor…
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What Are The Collateral Consequences Of A Misdemeanor Drug Conviction?
The collateral consequences of a misdemeanor drug conviction are unforeseen, but additional and substantial legal penalties, that attach to a conviction. These unforeseen consequences are in addition to the statutory penalties that can include a fine, jail, mandatory driver’s license suspension, conditions of probation, or a combination thereof. The consequences are often hidden during the criminal process because they are in addition to the penalties imposed by the sentencing court. These hidden penalties can include ineligibility for public benefits, public housing, student loans, and various forms of employment. But the collateral consequences can sometimes be extremely harsh. For example, the statutory penalty for a minor-misdemeanor possession of less than 100 grams…