Having legal access to marijuana can help patients treat certain illnesses, including epilepsy, cancer, and pain. It can also help prevent people from getting into trouble with the law. But there are still many legal issues related to marijuana possession. Whether you’re looking for information on decriminalization, penalties for trafficking, or alternative ways to use marijuana, this article has what you need.
Common law approach
Taking the common law approach to marijuana possession law can be a bad idea. There are several reasons to oppose the practice. A marijuana possession lawyer can be a help in the process you are going through.
The first is that the right to a jury trial is not protected by any common law exception. If a jury is not allowed to decide whether marijuana possession is a crime, law enforcement is free to charge the defendant with a lower penalty. Alternatively, the prosecutor may feel that a bench trial will produce a more favorable verdict.
The jury may be agnostic, or they may feel that marijuana is not a criminal offense and should not be prosecuted. Another reason is that marijuana possession weighs heavily in the favor of the government.
While the right to a jury trial is a valuable right, there are better ways to protect it. In particular, if the state is going to decriminalize cannabis, it should give the accused a right to a jury trial.
Penalties for other drugs
Depending on the court and the quantity of drugs, penalties for marijuana possession and other drugs can range from fine to imprisonment. Penalties are also imposed for drug misuse.
The Penal Code determines the penalties for marijuana possession and other drugs. The minimum penalties range from one to two years. However, penalties can be increased for aggravated circumstances such as a previous criminal record or a previous drug offence.
The Penal Code also differentiates penalties for small and large quantities of drugs. The minimum penalty for a non-negligible quantity for personal consumption is fine, while for larger quantities, the minimum is imprisonment.
For a first offence, penalties may range from one to two years in prison. For a second offence, penalties range from three to five years in prison. The Penal Code also applies to supplying drugs to a large number of people.
Penalties for trafficking
Whether you are charged with marijuana trafficking or a possession crime, it is important to know that the penalties vary by state. Penalties can range from a minimal fine to several years in prison. There are also legal defenses that you can use in your case.
The best possible scenario for a first time marijuana offender is a minimum fine of $1,000. However, it is not uncommon for penalties to be much more expensive. If you are charged with trafficking more than 10,000 pounds of marijuana, you can face a minimum of two years in prison and a fine of more than $200,000. If you are charged with trafficking less than a hundred pounds of marijuana, you could face a minimum of two months in prison and a fine of up to $500.
Alternatives to decriminalization
Various state and local governments are taking steps to reduce the impacts of marijuana arrests. These include allowing judges to require drug education for minors, as well as deferring sentences for marijuana possession. However, some states still consider marijuana a criminal offense.
In the United Kingdom, possession of less than an ounce is a simple infraction. Similarly, the Netherlands does not enforce fines for simple possession of marijuana. In fact, the Netherlands does not even have a law that prohibits its use.
Laws that prohibit marijuana possession are enforced sporadically. Criminal penalties have little deterrent effect. However, the relationship between cannabis and violence is unclear. And, in general, people’s decisions about marijuana use are driven by perceptions of health risks and social acceptability.
Legal access to medical marijuana for patients with a variety of conditions
Increasingly, patients are seeking legal access to medical marijuana for a variety of conditions. A number of studies have been conducted to explore the characteristics of patients. These studies vary in size and scope, and some include only patient-reported data. Others focus on patients outside the United States.
Two studies analyzed data from a state-run patient registry. The data was used to explore the primary reasons patients sought medical cannabis. Among patients, the most common primary reasons were unspecified chronic pain and anxiety. A third reason was depression.
A significant difference between the general population and medical cannabis users was found in the number of comorbid conditions reported by patients. Patients reported 2.7 comorbid conditions on average.
Most of the primary conditions reported were related to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients also reported other comorbid conditions. A total of 61,379 patients were included in the analysis.
