What Happens at a Preliminary Hearing in Pennsylvania? If you or a loved one were charged with a crime recently and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing, you may be wondering what could happen at the hearing. A preliminary hearing is not a trial, but rather a first step in a case used to determine …
Pennsylvania Laws
Recent PA Court Ruling on Medical Marijuana: A Schedule I Drug in DUI Cases
Court Rules You Can be Charged and Convicted of DUI of Drugs for using Medical Marijuana Many medical marijuana users in Pennsylvania are in shock over the recent ruling in early May 2022 that says the legal medicine they have been prescribed could mean they are at risk for being charged with Driving Under the …
What are the Penalties for Drug Charges in Pennsylvania?
Let’s face the facts: a lot of people use drugs. Nearly 12% of people over 12 years of age used drugs or misused prescription drugs in the United States in the last year, according to the CDC. More than a million people are arrested for drug possession in the United States every year, and Pennsylvania …
What Happens When the Ignition Interlock Device Program Is Violated in Pennsylvania?
Penalties if a Person Tampers with an Ignition Interlock Device under the Ignition Interlock Program. If you were charged with DUI in PA and mandated to use an Ignition Interlock Device and drive with a limited interlock driver’s license, you are aware that you may only drive the vehicle approved with the device installed. If any …
Pennsylvania Court Rules Smell of Marijuana Alone Does Not Justify a Warrantless Search
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has ruled against making a warrantless search based solely on the smell of cannabis. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled that a state police search of a vehicle in 2018 occurred only due to the smell of marijuana. In Commonwealth v. Barr II, the defendant was charged with illegally owning a firearm after police …
Will You Lose Your License by Refusing a Breathalyzer or Blood Test After a DUI Arrest in Pennsylvania?
What Happens to Your License if you Refuse to Take a Breath or Blood Test in PA? It may go without saying that many people who are charged with DUI are not thinking clearly when they are pulled over by the police. This sometimes results in a refusal to take a breathalyzer or a blood …
Can Medical-Marijuana Users Be Charged with DUI in Pennsylvania?
Medical Marijuana and DUI Law in Pennsylvania As more and more people in Pennsylvania can more easily obtain a Medical Marijuana Card, what happens when they are pulled over for DUI? As the law currently stands, even if a person is legally allowed to consume marijuana, they could still face DUI charges, even while not …
Overturning Marijuana Convictions in Pennsylvania
Can your marijuana charges be expunged? Can you be pardoned for a marijuana conviction in Pennsylvania? The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons (BOP) recently established an expedited review program for non-violent marijuana-specific convictions, including possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, DUI of medical-marijuana, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (PWID). While applicants …
Any Amount of Illegal Fentanyl Possession Means Going to Prison in PA, Upon Conviction
Pennsylvania Fentanyl Law Punishes ANY AMOUNT of Illegal Fentanyl Possession or Fentanyl Derivative with a Mandatory Two Years in Prison and a $5,000 Fine Pennsylvania legislators are not fooling around when it comes to punishing those found in illegal possession of any amount of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times …
Can the cops search your vehicle if they smell marijuana?
Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Hear Case Involving Cannabis Odor and Vehicle Searches Is the smell of cannabis probable cause for the police to search your vehicle? That is the question up for debate this week in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In Commonwealth v. Barr II, the defendant was charged with illegally owning a firearm after …