Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Meg’s Law Aims To Restrict Sale Of Nitrous Oxide
Inhalant abuse is nothing new, but as with so many categories of drugs, abuse patterns change according to which substances are easily available. Kids who attended elementary school in the 1980s, at the height of the War on Drugs, remember how good rubber cement smelled, and you could find a jar of it in… Read More »
Criminal Sentences Are Not Set In Stone
When you find out that you are facing a criminal charge, one of the first topics that your criminal defense lawyer will want to discuss with you is the range of sentences for your charge and what this means for your case. If you are facing a criminal charge punishable by one to five… Read More »
Sheriff’s Deputies Seize Pill Presses And MDMA After Executing Search Warrant
From a legal perspective, MDMA is a Schedule I controlled substance, always illegal and never permissible for medical use. By this logic, it is just like heroin. To some people, though, MDMA is a wonder drug. A tiny dose might be able to cure post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or opioid addiction. Cannabis is still… Read More »
Flagler Man Arrested For Illegal Possession Of Sea Turtle Eggs
Florida’s sea turtles are a majestic sight. Few of us have witnessed the hatchlings following their instincts to propel themselves down the beach on their flippers toward the ocean where previous generations of marine turtles have lived, but Florida is one of only a few places in the world where you can see this…. Read More »
Olympian Arrested For Dangerous Excessive Speeding
Florida has always been a popular destination for driving fast. The wide streets laid out on a grid pattern practically invite you to drive at double the speed limit, as does I-95, with all those lanes and no traffic lights. Drivers in their mid-20s and younger are the most likely to succumb to this… Read More »
Illegal Distribution Of Pharmaceuticals That Are Not Controlled Substances
The risks associated with pharmaceutical drugs determine whether pharmacies or other retailers can legally sell them over the counter, or whether patients can only receive them by a doctor’s prescription, and a licensed pharmacist or pharmacy technician must dispense them directly to the patient, often requiring the patient to sign to receive the medication… Read More »
What Happens If Cannabis Becomes A Schedule III Controlled Substance?
Part of Florida’s charm is that nothing here makes sense; it has a way of becoming home, much like the Wonderland where Alice met the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat, so that you no longer miss places where things are predictable. Even in the 1990s, when legalizing cannabis sounded like, quite literally, a… Read More »
Harmful Communication To A Minor
Everyone knows that online solicitation of a minor, but did you know that you can also get criminal charges for things you say to minors online, even if your words and actions do not meet the definition of online solicitation? Florida law defines the criminal offense of harmful communication to a minor as making… Read More »
An Innocent Looking Vehicle Inside A Suspicious Looking Vehicle
Buses hold a certain mystique for young children. Consider that “The Wheels on the Bus” is one of the first songs that most children learn. Little children who must ride in car seats in their parents’ cars, or in strollers when their parents travel on foot, perk up when they see big kids waiting… Read More »
NBA Player Pleads Not Guilty To Sports Betting Conspiracy Charges
Much like weed, gambling seems to occupy a legal gray area. It is against the law except when it isn’t. Casino gambling is illegal in Florida but legal on tribal land, where federal laws apply, but state laws do not. You can buy lottery tickets from gas stations in Florida until you are broke,… Read More »