Marijuana Possession in a Vehicle

June 14, 2013

NJ DWI Police Blotter: Morris and Warren Officers Make Numerous Drunk Driving Traffic Stops

Drunk driving arrests are hardly uncommon here in the Garden State, with our large population and plenty of vehicles on the road. But while intoxicated driving maybe a year-round occurrence throughout the state, the incidences of impaired motor vehicle operation can become especially frequent when the weather starts to warm up and the summer tourist season begins anew. With numerous family get-togethers, company picnics, and out-of-towners streaming into beach and resort areas, police all around the state are on alert for potentially inebriated motorists.

Whether one lives, works or travels through Monmouth County, or Ocean, Atlantic or Cape May, a wide variety of alcohol- and prescription drug-related arrests can be seen nearly any day of the week in the various police blotter pages published by local news outlets. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, my legal team has seen its share of courtroom scenarios involving all manner of drunk driving, breath-test refusal and drug DUI cases.

Regardless of the circumstances, from alcohol-related car and truck accidents to drug-impaired motorists taken into custody and charged with DUI, our court system is witness to a constant stream of DWI-DUI cases, many of which are thrown out due to lack of proper evidence or incorrect police procedures. For these last two reasons alone it is never a bad idea to consult with an experienced trial lawyer skilled in DWI-DUI litigation. Certainly, understanding one’s legal rights and weighing the possible options is usually to a person’s advantage.
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April 27, 2013

New Jersey Drunken Driving Police Blotter: Union and Bergen Officers Arrest Drivers for DWI, DUI

by Jonathan F. Marshall

It’s safe to say that for many motorists being pulled over due to one or another kind of moving violation will rarely lead to an actual arrest, yet there is a group of drivers who may not be as lucky when it comes their turn to be face to face with the law. Sometimes, the simplest of driving errors — such as making an improper turn, failing to signal when changing lanes or rolling through a stop sign — can actually result in an arrest.

While a number of scenarios could be attached to such an event, being a little tipsy or appearing somewhat intoxicated in front of the policeman in charge will most probably get a motorist in trouble with the law. Whether one is stopped by a state trooper, a city cop, or local municipal patrolman, the opportunity to receive a DWI summons, or worse, end up being arrested and held overnight in jail may be the result of just one drink too many followed by a drive home.

Whatever the initial cause of a drunk driving or drug DUI arrest, the end result — be it the monetary penalties or the potential loss of driving privileges — can come as a shock to most otherwise law-abiding citizens. It’s no secret that here in the Garden State an arrest for DWI-DUI can have a serious financial impact on many people, not to mention the possible social or professional embarrassment. It’s a fair bet that these days being convicted of drunken driving may ruin more than one’s reputation; marriages, careers and standing in the community can all be victims of a guilty verdict in a DWI case.
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April 21, 2013

Police Blotter: DWI, CDS and Underage Possession of Alcohol Arrests in Kenilworth, Montclair and Middletown

by Jonathan F. Marshall

With one of the most densely populated states in the Union, New Jersey sees more than its fair share of drunken driving, drug DUI and underage DWI arrests every week. Most of the people who are stopped by a state patrolman, municipal cop or county police officer are understandably nervous over the episode, especially if it is their first traffic stop or if they are accused of driving while intoxicated. One thing that anyone caught in this type of a scenario is not to give up hope and remember that it is not a foregone conclusion that a DWI charge will automatically result in a drunk driving conviction and related penalties.

When choosing any attorney to help you defend yourself against a charge of driving under the influence, it is important to keep in mind that dozens of people face similar charges every week in this state. At the law offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, our experienced trial lawyers know DWI law and understand how state or local prosecutors approach these types of traffic offenses.

If there is one thing very common to those individuals accused of drunken driving, it would be the doubt as to whether or not it is worth the time, effort and cost of fighting a DWI summons, drug DUI charge, breath test refusal accusation or other alcohol or drug-related traffic offense. To this we must say, that there are numerous good reasons to take your case to court.
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April 11, 2013

Monmouth DWI-DUI Police Blotter: Numerous Middleton, NJ, Alcohol- and Drug-related Police Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As drunken driving defense attorneys representing motorists accused of DWI and drug DUI here in the Garden State, I and my large staff of skilled trial lawyers have more than 100 years of collective legal experience to bring to the fore. The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall provides clients with knowledgeable representation in cases involving drunken driving, impairment by prescription drugs or an illegal controlled dangerous substance (CDS), breath test refusal, and other alcohol and drug-related charges.

We are extremely dedicated to representing motorists who have been accused of DWI, drug DUI, marijuana possession in a motor vehicle, as well as underage drinking and driving, among others. With our extensive experience in civil and criminal cases, we can offer clients statewide the services of qualified legal representation combined with skilled and informed drunken driving defense.

Especially here in New Jersey, where heavy DWI enforcement is a common sight and penalties for convicted drunk driving offenders can be very stiff, it is important to have a the best legal defense possible. Whether a person has been arrested for DWI following a routine traffic, at a sobriety checkpoint, or following an alcohol-related roadway accident, there is no good reason to enter a courtroom alone with only hope on one’s side.
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April 5, 2013

Police Log Multiple DWI Incidents in Union County; DWI Accidents, Sobriety Checkpoint Arrests and Others

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Ever known someone who was arrested for driving while intoxicated? Yes, well join the club. No? Just give it a little time. Here in the Garden State, drunken driving seems to be a common activity, as is being arrested for same. One thing is certain; wait a few days and you’re bound to hear about yet another person charged with DWI, or driving while impaired by prescription drugs or illegal substances.

The list of possible charges is not particularly long, but the reasons why motorists get stopped for a seemingly insignificant moving violation or traffic infraction and then go on to be taken into custody by police — then charged with an alcohol or drug-related offense — are many and varied. As a former municipal prosecutor-turned-defense-attorney, I began this law firm to help fight for people who have been accused of DWI-DUI.

One only has to look at the news each day to see the numerous instances of New Jersey motorists being slapped with single and even multiple charges of driving while intoxicated, breath test refusal, impaired driving, possession of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia and other serious traffic-related offenses. The following are just a sampling of incidents that took place in Union County not too long ago:
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January 19, 2013

A Look at New Jersey’s Many and Varied Penalties for Marijuana-related Offenses

by Jonathan F. Marshall

With the recent passage of ballot initiatives in the states of Washington and Colorado legalizing marijuana for recreational use, it’s a fair bet that more than a few individuals in the Garden State probably feel the same way as voters in those states; marijuana is more and more becoming an accepted form of relaxation, not unlike the use of alcohol has been for decades across the United States. As New Jersey DWI-DUI defense attorneys, we know that just believing something is benign, harmless or just plain “okay” is not a sufficient defense in a court of law.

Law is the key here. Even if states do begin to loosen up their legal restrictions on the use of cannabis, weed, hash or whatever one chooses to call it, legal use of marijuana on a national scale make take longer. And, while the significance of these two separate state referendums should not be underestimated, experts tend to agree that this was just the first major victory for the marijuana legalization advocates in what will likely be a long battle. The sticking point is that marijuana is still illegal under federal law, which overrules these states’ rights.

So we’ve established that marijuana may have a future as a legal substance, but here in New Jersey, as in most every other state, it is still a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in the eyes of the government, and state and local law enforcement. Regardless of its status as one of the most commonly used drugs, at least that we have seen in our work as drug DUI defense lawyers, marijuana remains an illegal substance that can really cause a driver problems if convicted of driving while impaired by the substance.
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November 23, 2012

Union and Ocean County Police Blotters: Drunk Driving Arrests for Many New Jersey Motorists

by Jonathan F. Marshall

It’s happened to more than one New Jersey driver in the past week: cruising down the road after a luncheon with business associates, coming home from a good friend’s bachelor party, or even going to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. These all sound normal enough, and they are, but for one added element: being stopped by a police officer for some minor traffic infraction. Whether it was a turn without signaling, a rolling stop in a quiet neighborhood or maybe just a burned-out taillamp, either way, one could be looking at a pricey ticket for one or more traffic violations, unless….

Unless the driver in question appears to the patrolman to exhibit some of the “typical” signs of being drunk behind the wheel. If a driver has had a drink or two previous to the traffic stop, then that individual could have trouble down the road, since many police officers are extremely suspicious of driver who exhibit signs of being intoxicated. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, I and my legal staff are committed to representing individuals who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and even controlled dangerous substances (CDSs), also known as drug DUI.

We’ll say right now that if you or anyone you know ever thinks you may have had too much to drink, save yourself the trouble of possibly being stopped on the road by a New Jersey state patrol officer or a municipal officer and risk being charged with DWI or DUI.

Recently, we saw a number of DWI and related arrested mentioned in several so-called police blotter columns in the news. These incidents, which occurred in Ocean and Union counties, provided a smattering of the typical kinds of drunken driving arrests that happen on a daily basis all across the state. As drunken driving attorneys, we know how easily a motorist can be tagged by a police officer for what may seem like a minor infraction only to be slapped with a drunk driving charge, maybe even more. Consider the following as object lessons in what not to do, and what to expect should you decide to take a chance with the law.
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October 17, 2012

Being Caught with Marijuana is No Joke, Especially if a Drug DUI Charge is Involved

by Jonathan F. Marshall

There’s no mistaking the fact that whatever you call it, weed, cannabis, hash or whatever, marijuana is clearly the most common illegal substance in use here in the Garden State. This drug is very often the cause of many arrests in cities such as Newark, Jersey City and Patterson and the subject of illegal drug charges defended by many criminal defense attorneys. Oddly, marijuana is also becoming legalized as a medicinal drug in many portions of the U.S. Nevertheless, recreational use is not legal and can get people in serious trouble with the law.

As one of the most common drugs of choice, with billions of dollars of the plant being grown in nearly every corner of the country, marijuana can get one arrested even if you aren’t smoking it. If a police officer pulls a driver over after observing a traffic offense, even a minor one, the opportunity exists for that patrolman to question the driver and other occupants of the vehicle. Here in the Garden State, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while in possession of marijuana, not to mention being impaired as a result of smoking or otherwise ingesting the drug.

As New Jersey DWI and drug DUI defense lawyers, our legal team has more than four decades of experience defending motorists against various types of charges including possession and distribution. In fact, there are numerous potential offenses involving weed and its possession, sale and use. These include: manufacturing and distribution, possession, use or sale in a school zone, possession of drug paraphernalia, operation of a marijuana grow house, possession in a passenger car or other motor vehicle, and others.
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October 15, 2012

New Jersey DWI Police Blotter: Multiple DWI Arrests in Burlington and Hunterdon Counties

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Not all is sweetness and light here in the Garden State, at least as far as those who are regularly arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated on our city streets and rural roadways. Although numerous motorists go about their routines in relative bliss, not knowing if a police officer may be observing their every move, others who may have had a drink at lunch or a beer after work with coworkers can be in for a rude surprise if they make even the most innocuous traffic violation.

As New Jersey drunken driving defense lawyers, I and my staff of experienced DWI attorneys understand what those accused of DWI or drug DUI can be up against in the courtroom. As a former municipal prosecutor myself, I know the tactics and strategies that can be used against a defendant who has received a summons for driving under the influence of alcohol or arrested for driving while impaired due to doctor-prescribed medication.

Fortunately, for many people, being pulled over for some kind of traffic infraction does not always lead to an arrest, but for others a simple mistake — such as failure to yield, improper turn or lack of signaling a lane change — can each result in being stopped by a state police officer or municipal patrolman. Whatever the initial cause, a DWI arrest can be financially shocking and/or a social embarrassment; never mind the negative a conviction can have on one’s personal relationships or job prospects down the road.
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September 18, 2012

Avoiding a Marijuana DUI is Good, But Consider Possession of Weed in a Motor Vehicle

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Let’s say for argument’s sake that a Garden State resident smokes a little marijuana from time to time; this is the 21st Century you know. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, I and my staff of legal professionals are well aware that a certain percentage of the driving population will get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle in some kind of an impaired state sometime in the coming week. While a number of these individuals may fully understand that they are drunk in the driver’s seat, others may not.

Such is the case with people who take prescription medications and then drive. For some of these people, they may not take medicine very often; and without reading the label or doctor’s instructions, they might be legally impaired once they being heading down the road. Other people, those that may enjoy a little “recreational” toke from time to time, might not think twice about whether or not they are impaired by a controlled dangerous substance while operating a motor vehicle on a public roadway.

Nonetheless, state and local police are not very forgiving when it comes to drug DUI, with substances like weed, meth and cocaine. While many users may feel marijuana is a harmless form of nature-based relaxation, the courts might not feel the same. Over the past few years, many states have passed medicinal marijuana laws, which can also complicate matters when it comes to drug DUI defense.
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