Drug Offenses

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which hears appeals from district courts in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, recently ruled in a drug trafficking case with international implications.The U.S. Coast Guard was performing a routine patrol of Panamanian...

The justices of the Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in two Florida cases concerning drug-sniffing dogs. The court's rulings could affect how the use of these dogs affects people's Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.The first...

In the past we've written about Florida's lengthy prison sentences and the policies that have caused them. Now the Florida Smart Justice Alliance, a coalition of groups including business interests and advocates for a fair justice system, is making another effort to...

A year ago, Florida lawmakers approved a program that would require pharmacists to enter pain prescription information into a statewide database. Supporters said this would be a powerful weapon against prescription drug abuse for the state, which was struggling in a...

The Bureau of Prisons prohibits a defendant who receives a two level increase for possessing a gun from receiving the sentence reduction attached as a bonus to completing the 500 Hour Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Some district court judges have been writing...

Recently in Florida, more than 50 doctors have been arrested for allegedly prescribing or dispensing unnecessary drugs to their patients. This crackdown was inspirited in part by the fact that seven fatalities have recently been reported stemming from prescription...

The last several years have played witnessed to a growing popularity in the use of synthetic drugs. These drugs, which are designed to mimic the chemical effects of cocaine, LSD, methamphetamines, and other hallucinogenic stimulants are sold under street names like...

Widespread media attention has put a spotlight on the newest trend in drug use: synthetic compounds commonly referred to as bath salts. Drug enforcement officials have been making efforts to combat the use and distribution of these drugs, but many have encountered...

In U.S. v. Maynard, 615 F.32d 544 (D.C.Cir. Aug. 6, 2010) (P&J, 08/09/10), the D.C. Circuit considered the joint appeals of Lawrence Maynard and Antoine Jones who were convicted of a conspiracy to possess and distribute substantial amounts of cocaine and cocaine...

In September of 2011, the Second District Court of Appeal issued an order asking the Florida Supreme Court immediately to resolve an issue that has sprung up in courtrooms statewide in recent months: whether Florida's Drug Abuse Prevention and Control law violates the...