In what may be the first ruling of its kind in Buchanan County, a GRL client is a free man today after the district court there suppressed the search of his semi truck and dismissed all charges. At issue was the Level II inspection criteria that many counties with weight stations impermissibly use to justify […]
The drug crime attorneys at GRL have seen our fair share of searches involving commercial motor vehicles. Whether its a random stop on the highway or the weight station, DOT officers will seize the opportunity to search closed containers in the truck cab under the authority for inspecting closely regulating industries. They will tell the […]
The drug crime attorneys at GRL were in the news again recently after a successful appeal ruling. We persuaded the district court that a Benton County magistrate judge made a mistake in finding a container with marijuana residue constituted drug paraphernalia as that term is defined in Iowa Code section 124.414. We proved that substantial […]
On November 28, 2022, the district court in Pocahontas County granted our application to dismiss a possession charge based on a violation of the one-year speedy trial provisions in Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.33. We were able to demonstrate that the state did not bring our client to trial within one year of his […]
It goes without saying that postal service investigations rarely turn out well for those who receive marijuana products by mail. Drug dogs and search warrants will conspire to reveal the contents of suspicious packages before they reach the mailbox. At that point, the recipients face a Hobson’s choice: either snitch on friends or cop to […]
GRL recently put its knowledge of drug identification procedures to the test in a case involving alleged THC vape liquid. Police seized a vape cart during a traffic stop. Field testing of the liquid extract showed a positive color change indicating the possible presence of marijuana. Frequent readers of the GRL Law blog know that […]
There was a time when the observation of marijuana seeds on the floorboard of a vehicle provided probable cause to search. Why? Because the definition of “marijuana” under Iowa law includes cannabis seeds. However, with the passage of the Iowa Hemp Act, Iowa Code chapter 204, that may no longer be the case. “Hemp” in […]
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 […]
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. […]
Do police have the right to search your car without a warrant if they see THC edibles in your center console during a traffic stop? The answer may surprise you. Suspected contraband in plain view does not necessarily provide probable cause to search the passenger compartment. Sure, the observation alone might provide PC under the […]
