There is no question that attitudes toward marijuana have undergone a significant change here in the U.S. over the last decade. By way of illustration, consider that just last week, voters in Ohio rejected a bid to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes.
Here, the point is not that voters in the Buckeye State voted “no” to pot legalization, but rather that the issue was even on the ballot at all. It seems almost inconceivable that such an issue would have been put to voters there as recently as ten years ago.
As you probably already know, the powers-that-be here in Florida, at least at the state level, do not share these progressive views on marijuana. Indeed, it appears unlikely as of right now that voters will be called upon to decide about recreational marijuana next November. (Although medical marijuana may prove to be a different story.)
What all of this really serves to underscore is that you can still get in very real trouble here in Florida for pot-related crimes.
Indeed, a person found to be in possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana could theoretically be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and, more significantly, up to a year behind bars.
At Michael A. Gottlieb, P.A., we understand how frustrating it can be to be charged with a marijuana-related offense as seemingly harmless as possession of marijuana and how tempting it can be to simply dismiss the severity of the charges given some of the prevailing attitudes toward the drug.
However, it’s important to reiterate that not all law enforcement officials share these enlightened views and failing to pay the necessary attention to these charges can result not just in the penalties outlined above, but other collateral consequences.
To learn more about these collateral consequences and our approach to drug crimes cases, please visit our website.