Tag: recreational marijuana

Drug Charges Dismissed Following Suppression Win

When it comes to warrantless searches, the drug crime attorneys at GRL Law really know their stuff. A recent example from North Iowa shows just how they leverage their knowledge to secure a dismissal by shining a bright light on illegal police conduct. Our client was the passenger in a vehicle that was parked one minute past the deadline in a city park.  Rather than simply wave on the driver, police decided to engage the occupants instead and request identification. When the driver rolled down the window, the officer smelled marijuana. Now, the driver owned up to a vape pen […]

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Felony Drug Charges Dismissed After Deputy Whiffs on Odor

When law enforcements applies for a search warrant based on the odor of marijuana, they must describe to the magistrate how they know recognize the odor. Things like training, experience, etc., in drug interdiction are critically important to establish probable cause to issue the warrant. What happens when the application is silent on training and experience? The drug crime attorneys at GRL Law recently convinced a district court in northwest Iowa to dismiss felony drug charges following a search warrant raid. A deputy sheriff claimed to have detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside a residence during an […]

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Plain View Observation is Not Probable Cause to Search

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 right circumstances, but it’s still the State’s burden to prove it. The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law believe PC requires more that just a plain view observation. Like furtive movements or efforts to conceal.  Or uncooperative behavior or false identification by the driver or […]

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Murphy Presents at NORML ISU Chapter Meeting

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 detention and arrest. GRL’s firm culture emphasizes public outreach especially when it comes to emerging legal issues like cannabis.  Our attorneys regularly take part in educating the general public, criminal defense bar and bench. Presentations like this are what sets GRL Law apart as the […]

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Drug Charge Dismissed Following Successful Constructive Possession Defense

Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa.  A traffic stop on I-35 led to the discovery of marijuana in a car trunk.  The trooper cited the driver for speeding, but charged the passenger with possession of marijuana. The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law have written before on the constructive possession defense.  This case presented yet another opportunity to raise it now on the passenger’s behalf. Because the trooper did not discover the marijuana in our client’s actual possession, the state needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she constructively possessed it.  That requires evidence that the passenger not only knew […]

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Iowa Should Seek Federal Exemption for State Marijuana Laws

Another year, another flurry of legislative activity regarding the decriminalization of marijuana in Iowa.  The latest iteration introduced today in the Judiciary Committee is SF 406. There is certainly plenty to like in the bill.  Simple possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana flower is legal.  Accommodation of up to an ounce without remuneration?  Legal.  Gatherings?  Again, legal.  Retail marijuana cultivation and sales permitted. But the Iowa legislature continues to overlook one critical issue. Marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level.   So, the specter of federal prohibition and prosecution continues to be ever present. Yes, […]

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