The Kickham Comment - Boston Criminal Attorney Blog
As pretty much anyone in Massachusetts knows, possession and use of marijuana (cannabis) has been legal here for a few years now. It made its way to full legalization following initial decriminalization. Decriminalizing is the legislative process of removing criminal sanctions against an act or behavior, while legalizing something removes all legal prohibitions against that act […]
Search Results for: marijuana
Massachusetts Federal Court Convictions Finally Punish The Real Drug Pushers In Opioid Crisis
As a Massachusetts drug crimes defense attorney, I have watched for years as countless citizens have been arrested and prosecuted for a wide variety of Massachusetts drug offenses – the majority of them needless prosecutions caused by the now half-century old “War on Drugs” that the federal government has used hundreds of billions of our […]
It’s New Year’s Eve: Be Smart
Here we are: The end of another year. Or, as John Lennon once wrote, “Another year over, a new one just begun” (at least, a few hours from now.) I thought of what to say to my readers as a Boston criminal defense lawyer on this final day of the year? There a lot of […]
Massachusetts Criminal Sentencing Reform – A Quick Look
Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation reforming a considerable amount of important laws in the Massachusetts criminal justice system this past April. So, how have those changes been going, on a day-to-day basis in the courts? At only 90 days out from the bill’s signing, it’s a little hard to say, but here’s a quick review […]
Massachusetts Pot Law Finally Enacted: The Details
By now most people are aware that Gov. Charlie Baker recently signed the House-Senate Conference Committee bill on the new pot law, which hammered out differences the two chambers wanted to make in the ballot law that voters passed last November, legalizing recreational use of cannabis in Massachusetts for persons age 21 and older. Here […]
Massachusetts Drug Crimes: Charged Doesn’t Mean Guilty – Part One of Two
When what you do in your profession involves defending as legal counsel people who have been charged with some very serious crimes, a common question is “How can you defend people who have been accused of such serious crimes?” My answer, as a Wrentham Mass. criminal defense attorney, is always the same: “Because they may […]
BIG PHARMA OWNS OBAMA: DEA KEEPS POT CLASSIFIED WITH HEROIN
No, the title of this post is not some Republican campaign slogan, and it’s not a joke, either. Barack Obama’s Drug Enforcement administration (DEA) today issued its final decision that marijuana is to remain on the federal government’s list of the most highly dangerous and regulated drugs, the Associated Press reported today. The decision […]
Ending Massachusetts Drug Crimes, 101
In my previous post on this subject of ending drug violence, I talked about how black markets and the violent crime that flows from them are created by government prohibition . This is what prohibition of any substance or material, causes. If the federal government made drinking water illegal tomorrow, black markets and criminals that […]
Governor Charlie Baker’s Plan to Restrict M.D.’s Opioid Prescriptions: Misdirected Energy
Here in Massachusetts, we’ve got a serious problem involving heroin use. A lot of deaths have resulted, and clearly, we need to address this problem. No one, including myself, disputes that. But you can rely on government to step in and largely botch the potential solutions to a given problem. Entirely unproductive efforts, misguided approaches […]
U.S. Attorney General Backs Drug Sentencing Reform Recommendations: Late, But Not Too Little.
Readers of this blog know my disdain for mandatory sentencing, whether for Massachusetts drug offenses, or a variety of other crimes. I’ve blogged previously about this subject, on more than one occasion. Some headway was made on this subject just the other day, when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed proposals made by an independent […]