Syracuse Criminal Law Blog

Since 1996, medical marijuana has been legalized in 18 states and the District of Columbia, according to whitehouse.gov, while two states have legalized adult marijuana use outright and several others have decriminalized possession of the drug in small quantities. In New York, however, no such legislation has been passed. As reported recently by National Public Radio, the relaxed marijuana laws in other parts of the nation have affected New York’s

Getting caught with pot in New York is still a serious issue Over the last few years there has been a huge shift in the way society views marijuana. Several states have legalized the use of recreational pot, and others are considering doing the same. According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans now favor marijuana legalization. New Yorkers, however, should be careful not to

A dangerous synthetic drug called Molly can lead to serious health consequences and harsh penalties. Charges of possession need to be taken seriously. The popular club drug Molly is gaining attention from news outlets across the country. Most recently, the drug was allegedly connected to the death of concert goers at several music festivals. A recent report by USA Today dove into the issue, noting concert goers compare the spike

In early June, New York governor Andrew Cuomo put forth a novel proposition: decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public throughout the state. Being caught in public with 25 grams or less of pot is currently a class B misdemeanor in New York, punishable by up to 90 days in jail. Individuals convicted of publicly possessing a small amount of marijuana also face a permanent mark on