Category: Drug Crimes

By: Lawrence Wolf New federal guidelines are setting thousands of drug criminals free under early release programs. According to the guidelines set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, judges will have the legal power to set the maximum and the minimum years inmates are imprisoned for their convictions. This decision also includes those individuals already incarcerated. Any prisoner whose sentencing may be reduced should contact their drug crime lawyer to ensure all steps are in place for an early release. How does this work? If a prisoner has served three years of a five year sentence and the committee reduced the… Read More

Over the past year, the number of inmates in California’s jails and prisons has decreased by about 13,000, largely due to the enactment of Proposition 47. Also known as the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act, Prop 47 is expected to enrich California state coffers by more than $150 million this fiscal year thanks to reduced prison and jail overcrowding. In November 2014, Californians overwhelmingly passed Prop 47 with the intent of ending long sentences for minor offenses such as drug possession and petty property crimes. Implementation of the new law has proven challenging, however, with some public officials and law enforcement agencies reportedly opposing… Read More

Criminal justice in the US appears to be flawed due to overcrowded prisons and the language of laws, reports Jacob Shamsian. More than two decades have passed since Bill Clinton signed the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act in an attempt to curtail criminal offenses, asserts NPR.ORG. However, Thea Johnson and Mark Osler have authored a new paper on the rationale behind reducing drug sentencing. Where Is the Problem? Today’s punishments for drug-related offenses rely on the quantity of drugs. For example, punishments are given on the basis of weight of the substance. In many cases, the offender may only be tied to… Read More

Today, an immigrant who is charged with a minor drug charge in California could end up with a one-way ticket out of the United States, whether they have a green card or not. But a new proposal could change that. According to the Los Angeles Times, individuals facing minor drug charges in California are often advised by their Los Angeles drug attorney to plead guilty to their crimes and to enter a drug counseling program. If the individual completes the drug education program successfully, the charges in most cases would be dismissed. But for immigrants — both here illegally as… Read More

If the old adage ‘as California goes, so goes the nation’ has any truth to it, then 2014 was cause for hopeful optimism for drug law reform advocates across the U.S. It was a year that saw several major victories for those working for changes in drug law in Los Angeles. Many criminal lawyers and drug attorneys in California and Los Angeles are praising the defeat of regressive bills and changes in existing laws in 2014 that they say will bring major improvements, including lessening criminal charges for minor drug possession and use, cutting down on prison and jail overcrowding,… Read More

Are gangs finally on the decline? In Southern California, at least, it looks that way. A recent article in Pacific Standard magazine notes that in the past five years, gangs have become significantly less visible throughout the area. Several years ago, 70 or more people were murdered each year in Santa Ana, often for gang-related reasons; such crimes are processed through the system of criminal law Los Angeles. For 2014, the number or murders stood at just 15. Drug law Los Angeles is feeling the effects of declining gang activity as well; police have noted a 50-percent decline in gang-related crime since… Read More

Currently embroiled in debates over the future of marijuana drug law Los Angeles is an interesting place to be right now. In January, a panel up north in Santa Rosa discussed the possibility of passing a marijuana legalization measure in 2016, and what that might mean for the industry as a whole. Multiple factors are at stake with a legalization bill. Although 2010’s effort to legalize the state’s largest cash crop, Proposition 19, failed by a slim margin, a recent poll conducted by Tulchin Research indicates that 65 percent of Californians would vote to reform marijuana laws. Many voters seem… Read More

America’s war on drugs, started by President Nixon, has been an abject failure in almost every way. After millions of shattered lives and billions spent on incarcerations, drug use has only increased in the decades that followed. In fact, the sole “success” of the war on drugs is that the United States became the world’s leading incarcerator.To combat the persistent issues caused by the war on drugs, America simply needs to look at its global neighbors and allies for innovative approaches that can solve our drug crisis. Following Portugal’s Lead, America Could Decriminalize Drugs Ask any drug crime lawyer whether drug… Read More

America’s War on Drugs is mired in flawed and incomplete policies as evidenced when looking back on some of the events of 2014. Acclaimed actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s overdose death was a tragic reminder of the 105 people who die every day in the U.S. from overdosing. Over 30,000 die annually from accidental overdose. California was the most recent and largest state to help pass overdose prevention laws. Their new legislation allows citizens better access to opiate overdose reversal medication, which can be obtained via a pharmacist. Many citizens across the country want to legalize marijuana. In 2014, voters in… Read More

A 65-year-old Chatsworth pharmacist called the authorities to report a stolen handgun only to end up being under investigation for improperly giving away drugs. According to a Moorpark Acorn report, the authorities responded to the report of a stolen handgun on Ventura Way in Chatsworth. During their visit, officials were concerned about the amount of Schedule II and III opiates stored there. The pharmacist had been storing prescription medication for a friend whose pharmacy was shut down years ago. He turned himself in for violating California Health and Safety Code for storing the medication in an unapproved manner and he… Read More