Articles Posted in Drug Crimes

The recreational use of cannabis has been legal in Illinois since January 1, 2020, but that doesn’t mean our state has worked out all the details. Lawmakers, law enforcement and the public are still figuring out how to deal with the issue of drugged driving. According to one recent study, between 2013 and 2021, here…

Search warrants are common in drug cases. Some people who end up facing drug crime charges in Illinois are in that position because a search warrant was executed on their home or vehicle, for example. Obviously, any time a person is arrested there are many constitutional rights that come into play. The validity of a…

This month, a new law went into effect in Illinois, and with it comes a major change to the state’s criminal justice system. The Pretrial Fairness Act, which went into effect Sept. 18 ends the practice of cash bail for pretrial release. This means that thousands of people who have been charged with a crime…

The term, “target letter” is having a moment, even though, outside of criminal defense and prosecutor circles, most people had never heard of it. However, for those facing potential federal drug crimes, this may give you hope that you will get a heads up prior to being indicted. Unfortunately, that may not be true in…

Generally speaking, you cannot be deported simply for being charged with a criminal offense. This makes sense. Lawful permanent residents and other non-citizens who live in the Springfield area have the same rights as anyone else accused of a crime in Illinois’ courts. They are innocent until proven guilty. However, certain types of criminal convictions…

In Illinois, when people are arrested, the evidence is obviously a critical part of whether they will be convicted or acquitted. As they craft a defense, they might think about their situation and if there is a rational explanation for what they have been accused of doing. There are other strategies that can be effective…

Not all drug crimes are committed with nefarious intent or as mere money-grabs. Oftentimes addiction drives a person to commit a drug crime. If so, is it better to simply lock away the user and throw away the key? Or should a person who is addicted to drugs and subsequently commits a drug crime be…

DUI is a serious charge by itself under Illinois law. It becomes much more serious in cases involving a motor vehicle accident, and if someone is killed in the accident, the charges can land a defendant in prison for years. While many Illinois residents may think they will never face this type of charge themselves,…

The consequences of a criminal conviction often involve far more than the sentence imposed by the court. So-called collateral consequences—meaning consequences that do not flow directly from the criminal sentence—can at times be as severe as the sentence itself. For this reason, it is important that a person accused of a crime understand potential consequences…

As readers of our legal blog know, we post about criminal law topics often. Recently, we discussed whether TSA could arrest you for drugs. However, in that Springfield, Illinois, bog post, we did not discuss CBD. Not the TSA’s job For context, Transportation Security Administration officers do not necessarily care about drugs. They are not…