Frequent visitors to the GRL Law Blog are no doubt familiar with our approach to defending medical marijuana charges. The drug defense lawyers recently raised this reciprocity defense in two separate cases. The first dealt with raw cannabis flower purchased in another state with a valid medical card. The other concerned edibles. In both cases, […]
Iowa law defines “drug paraphernalia” to include equipment used to inhale a controlled substance. However, the definition excepts those items used in combination with the lawful use of a controlled substance. How should the law treat smoking accessories used to inhale “medical cannabidiol” or the out-of-state equivalent? We put this question to the test recently […]
Frequent readers of our blog are certainly familiar with the firm’s reciprocity argument regarding medical marijuana. Normally, the State concedes this issue and voluntarily dismisses the charge. However, the Iowa State Patrol trooper involved here objected to a dismissal. So, we had the opportunity to finally pitch our argument to the district court. Our client […]
The medical journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research recently published an article examining the relationship between CBD and liver function. Researchers affiliated with UCLA and the University of Buffalo assessed nearly 1500 volunteers who consumed oral CBD products for a minimum of 30 days. The authors identified “no relationship between continuing to take CBD, daily dose […]
Iowa’s medical cannabidiol program needs a boost. Marijuana extracts containing THC and CBD have been available to qualifying medical patients now for three years. The products are safe to use. And the risk of diversion is virtually non-existent. While the program is slowly growing, it may not be fast enough to keep the doors open. […]
December 1, 2021 marks the three year anniversary since Iowa began distributing medical cannabidiol to certified patients. Here is some of the data for the program through October 2021: There are 1,549 certifying health practitioners. 7,323 active patient cardholders. 16,591 cumulative patient cards issued. All of this above data is trending upward, which is great […]
On October 13, 2021 GRL Law’s own Colin Murphy spoke before a packed room of cannabis activists at the ISU Memorial Union. The presentation for NORML ISU focused on the current status of marijuana and cannabis extracts. Colin discussed what not to do during traffic stops. He also reviewed important driver rights to assert during […]
On September 16, 2021 Colin Murphy presented at the annual Iowa Association for Justice Criminal Law Seminar in Iowa City. The presentation focused on the current legal status of cannabis extracts. In particular, Colin demonstrated how defense attorneys can defend against marijuana charges involving extracts such as CBD, medical cannabidiol and delta-8 THC. The […]
Iowa NORML has a new Executive Director. GRL Law’s own Colin Murphy, long-time member of the NORML Legal Committee, recently assumed the leadership role. One of the first orders of business will be to recertify the state chapter with NORML. Murphy has been very active behind the scenes working closely with Carl Olsen, a leading […]
When it comes to possession charges for out-of-state medical marijuana, you should look no further than GRL Law. Many prosecutors will charge these possession offenses under Iowa Code section 124.401(5). This effectively treats medical marijuana like a street drug rather than a therapeutic purchased at a licensed dispensary. Most attorneys who dabble in criminal defense […]
