The Metro Nashville Davidson County City Council passed a law to decriminalize marijuana on final reading. Now , several questions will have to be answered.
1. How will the Metro Nashville Police Department enforce the new law ?
I expect Chief Anderson to issue a new general order on how the Metro police should respond to
The Nashville Metro Council has passed on second reading a proposal to decriminalize marijuana. Final reading is coming up soon. It has a ton of support locally and is expected to pass. The proposal is to make possession of marijuana less than one half ounce a civil matter much like a traffic ticket. It would
Tennessee State Legislator William Lamberth has proposed a bill in this year’s legislative session to modify one aspect of Tennessee’s marijuana laws. Under current Tennessee law, a third conviction of simple possession of marijuana is a felony. Representative Lamberth’s proposal would strike the increased punishment for possession of marijuana.
Sentencing reform needs to be addressed
I made a court appearance today in Van Buren County Tennessee today. I have appeared in all Middle Tennessee counties with the exception of Cannon County Tennessee . It was a beautiful drive especially between Sparta and Spencer. Here is a little information on the general sessions court procedure.
General Sessions Court in Van Buren County
Most folks have a different idea of what forensic labs do in the testing of evidence. We think of lab coats and complex scientific tests like we see on CSI. It is not always true. if your arrested for possession for marijuana in Tennessee , the evidence seized may eventually be tested by one of
One of my interests in the many components of the criminal justice is the area of forensic science . There has been a common occurrence of problems in forensic crime labs across the country . One of the biggest cases was of Annie Dookhan who falsified thousands of drug reports . Ms. Dookhan was later indicted and
The U.S. Justice Department is taking a new approach on drug crimes. The department is encouraging low level convicted drug dealers to request clemency . Clemency would allow up to 12,000 inmates to be released early . The federal system is making the move to save money on the costs it takes to house a
A Republican Congressman from Florida pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Washington D.C. to a misdemeanor charge of possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to one year of probation. He bought 3.5 grams of cocaine. How would that play out in Nashville,Tn. ?
First , possession of more than .5 grams of cocaine with the
A question that pops up over and over again is " Does a confidential informant have do tell me they are the police ? " One can count on the police recording activity of illegal drug sales or interviewing suspects under criminal investigation . Secret recordings are one of the standard tools that police use every day.
Prescription pill abuse is out of control in Tennessee. Early in my career as a attorney, the drugs of choice were cocaine and marijuana. In the last few years, there has been an explosion in the abuse of prescription pills. The question is why and what can we do about the problem. Most folks
