Posted on July 25, 2014 in Criminal Defense

It is no surprise that sentencing outcomes can be more severe if you have prior convictions. If you have been previously convicted of a crime and are facing new criminal charges, it is crucial that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to learn more about your legal options and how to protect your rights. Every state follows different sentencing guidelines especially for individuals with past convictions. It is important to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney in your state to learn more about the sentencing guidelines applicable to you.

In Florida, individuals with a criminal past are given harsher sentences following subsequent convictions. Of course, the guidelines depend on the type of offender and the specific crime committed. Florida law requires sentencing enhancements for individuals known as "career criminals." Individuals that fall under this "career criminal" category include Habitual Felony Offender (HO), Habitual Violent Offender (HVO), Violent Career Criminal (VCC), and a Violent Felony Offender of Special Concern (VFOSC). Each designation carries different sentencing guidelines.

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 Posted on July 25, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Streaking is the act of running through a public or private place naked, without clothes on. The act of streaking essentially consists of an individual exposing his or her body to the public eye. Although the act of streaking is usually done to complete a dare or prank and is oftentimes a great source of comedy in movies, it is illegal in Florida. Amidst all the fun and games, everyone forgets that streaking is an actual offense punishable by the law. If you are charged with indecent exposure and subsequently convicted, you could be facing serious consequences. Contact an experienced Florida criminal lawyer to discuss your case and learn about your legal options.

Indecent exposure laws vary between states. A criminal defense attorney in your state is best equipped to protect your rights and help you achieve the best results.

Florida law classifies indecent exposure as a first-degree misdemeanor. Those found guilty of the offense can serve up to one year in jail or face twelve months of probation as well as incur fines. Additionally, a successful indecent exposure conviction carries significant lasting effects. If you are found guilty, the offense can interfere with various aspects of your life including employment and school. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to learn more about the lifelong devastating consequences of an indecent exposure conviction. A qualified criminal defense attorney can work with you and your prosecutors to help reduce the negative consequences that can stem from an indecent exposure conviction.

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 Posted on July 23, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Marijuana delivery services are taking off! And it is no surprise that this new service is proving to be a success! It's quick, easy and convenient for consumers.

Following the legalization of medical marijuana in California, dispensaries opened up in order to provide qualified patients a safe and comfortable place to obtain their medical marijuana. However, the recent emergence of marijuana delivery services may just make those dispensaries a thing of the past!

California's most popular marijuana delivery service is known as Speed Weed. The company has about 25 drivers, a delivery area of about 6,000 square miles and multiple offices around the Southern California area in order to meet delivery requests in a timely manner. When patients need a refill on their supply of marijuana, pre-rolled joints, and pot-infused edibles, they either place a call to Speed Weed or use Speed Weed's website to place an online order. Within an hour, a driver pulls up to the patient's home carrying a white paper bag filled with the patient's order and leaves the order with that patient. It's quick and easy.

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 Posted on July 22, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Research shows that marijuana can remedy some medical conditions and ailments. Below are ten ways that marijuana can be beneficial to your health!

1. THC, the active ingredient found in marijuana, can help stimulate appetite in people with cancer.
2. Marijuana can help ease symptoms associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease such as inflammation of the digestive tract.
3. Marijuana can decrease a person's chances of developing bladder cancer. This research is based on an 11 year study that included 83,000 people.
4. Individuals who use marijuana have healthier levels of insulin than those who don't use marijuana. This can be extremely beneficial to Diabetics who rely on insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.
5. Marijuana can help ease migraines.
6. Marijuana can also alleviate symptoms associated with Multiple Sclerosis such as spasticity and overactive bladder.
7. Marijuana can also treat nausea and inhibit vomiting.
8. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms can be eased with marijuana.
9. Studies show that marijuana eases neuropathic pain (burning sensations in the nerves).
10. Marijuana has also been used to treat seizures related to epilepsy.

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 Posted on July 21, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Legalizing marijuana should be a top national security objective – that is, if the United States wants to minimize terrorism and border instability. How do legalizing marijuana and maintaining national security relate to each other? Well, here's the breakdown!

The United States has been waging wars with Iraq and Afghanistan for the past two decades and has tried relentlessly to stabilize both Iraq and Afghanistan by attempting to build some type of political and economic structure within each of those nations. Additionally, as the 2011 U.S. National Strategy for Counterterrorism states, the President's top national security priority is ensuring the security of the citizens of the United States and the interests of the United States from terrorists.

With that in mind, Afghanistan is the largest provider of cannabis in the world and the United States is the world's largest consumer of cannabis. Citizens of the United States spend about $40.6 billion a year on cannabis. Therefore, if the United States legalizes cannabis, Afghanistan and its people and economy could establish a source of income by supplying the United States' legal cannabis industry. This would create some sort of economic stability in Afghanistan and even destabilize terror groups.

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 Posted on July 18, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Congress has just helped out the legal marijuana industry in a big way! On Wednesday, July 16, the House of Representatives decided to pass two amendments that will permit marijuana businesses to function similar to other businesses. The Senate has yet to approve, but voting should take place later this summer.

Since the start of the legal marijuana movement, businesses engaged in the sale of marijuana have struggled to obtain financial assistance from safe and reliable banks. This was primarily because marijuana is still federally illegal despite any states' laws legalizing the drug. Therefore, banks were afraid of the potential penalties that could arise from working with businesses engaged in the production, manufacture, and sale of the federally illegal substance.

However, now that fear can be put to rest. Banks can begin working and providing much needed services to legal marijuana businesses without fear of prosecution. The new amendments just recently approved by the House of Representatives will help marijuana businesses obtain financial services such as capital, loans, and safe deposits from large national banks.

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 Posted on July 15, 2014 in Criminal Defense

In November, a new, uniquely profitable industry may emerge in Florida. Florida voters will have the chance to vote on Amendment 2, a bill that can legalize medical marijuana in the entire state. If Amendment 2 passes, Florida will become the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana.

How does this effect Florida? The answer is quite simple. The passage of Amendment 2 would create the emergence of a new industry and a new economy for Florida. This new economy could bring in anywhere from $8 million to $338 million in sales tax revenue for the state - a whole lot of profit especially since the state would only have to expend about $1.1 million to implement the medical marijuana measure!

Peter Sessa of the Florida Cannabis Coalition can vouch for the increasing interest in the prospect of this new industry. Sessa has said, "People see this as the next big American industry. They want a piece of it and they don't know where to go."

It is no surprise that Floridians want to capitalize on this new industry, however knowledge is key to ensure the success of the industry, especially an industry so new and unfamiliar. Sessa has said, "There's interest in people who want to open up a dispensary. There's interest in people who want to grow. There's people who are interested in wanting to have ancillary businesses." The potential in the medical marijuana business in Florida is exponential and in order to be as successful as possible Florida must be prepared and must also learn from the mistakes of previous states who have legalized medical marijuana. In an effort to spread knowledge and awareness and to ensure Florida's success in the medical marijuana industry, the Florida Cannabis Coalition is holding an event on Friday afternoon at the Renaissance Marriott Boca Ration. The event will focus on the business impacts of medical marijuana in Florda. All those interested in Florida's medical marijuana industry are encouraged to attend.

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 Posted on July 14, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Four investigators with the Department of Corrections have filed a whistle-blower complaint against their employer the state of Florida. The complaint alleges that Florida's prison system is teeming with corruption, brutality, and authorized gang violence. Specifically, the complaint alleges that guards employ gang enforcers to control prisoners, that prisoners have been beaten and tortured, and that guards trade drugs and other contraband for money and sexual favors from the prisoners. The complaint further alleges that when the investigators tried to disclose what was going on in these prisons, the state reacted against them.

This isn't the first report of abusive treatments by corrections officers in Florida prisons. Previously, it was reported that an inmate at Dade Correctional Institution was led into a boiling hot shower and left there until he collapsed and died. However, that report stemmed from claims made by inmates, nurses and psychotherapists. This time the reports of alleged abuse stem from the correctional officers themselves.

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 Posted on July 07, 2014 in Criminal Defense

Six months ago, Colorado passed a trailblazing statewide policy that legalized marijuana. Not only have the consequences been greater than expected, but they've also happened sooner than projected!

It turns out that the marijuana industry is much more profitable than initially anticipated. In February, the taxed and legal recreational sale of marijuana was $14 million and in March, that figure shot up to $19 million. In the first four months, Colorado earned more than $10 million in taxes! However, Gov. John Hickenlooper anticipates that over the next year Colorado will earn about $134 million in tax revenue from marijuana sales. This additional tax revenue is expected to improve Colorado's public schools and infrastructure and even fund campaigns to educate the youth about substance abuse. Additionally, since the legalization of marijuana, there has been a soar in job creation as thousands of new jobs have emerged. Approximately 10,000 individuals work in the marijuana industry and 2,000 of those individuals were employed within the first four months since the legalization of marijuana.

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 Posted on July 07, 2014 in Criminal Defense

In 2013, Oscar Pistorious, a South African Olympian, was notoriously accused of murdering his girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp. He faces charges of premeditated murder as well as gun-related charges. His trial is currently ongoing in South Africa.

In Florida, a homicide is the killing of another human being. A charge of premeditated murder requires a finding of a specific intent to kill. In other words, there must be a finding of a decision to kill that was present at the time of the killing. Prosecutors must prove that there was some type of plan formed to carry out the killing. In Florida, a finding of premeditated murder would lead to a first-degree murder charge that is punishable by either a life sentence or the death penalty.

The judicial system of South Africa is markedly different from that of the United States. In 1969, South Africa got rid of jury trials. Therefore, Oscar Pistorious will not be tried by a jury of his peers and instead will be tried by a judge in a high court. One important difference between the United States legal system and the South African legal system is evident in the issuing of a verdict. Unlike in the United States, where the presiding jury does not have to provide reasons for their decision, in the South African legal system, the judge must issue clear reasons for his or her accompanying verdict.

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