Hashish Legislation Group
Inmates in jail usually are not allowed to own leisure marijuana whereas incarcerated, in response to a brand new ruling by the California Supreme Court docket. The court docket overturned a decrease court docket’s choice that held prisoners had been allowed to have the drug, as long as they didn’t use it. 
The case, California v. Raybon, includes 5 inmates in a California state jail who had been convicted on felony costs after being discovered with marijuana of their cells. The boys appealed to the third District Court docket of Attraction in Sacramento, which overturned their convictions after figuring out that whereas they might not legally eat or smoke pot in jail, possession of marijuana is now not a felony offense. As our Los Angeles marijuana protection attorneys can clarify, this ruling conflicted with these of different appellate courts.
The state supreme court docket weighed in after a problem from the state lawyer basic. In a cut up 5-2 ruling, the excessive court docket held that Prop 64, which legalized leisure marijuana in California, was not relevant to jail inmates. The bulk opinion held that there as nothing within the poll supplies for the legislation that indicated voters had thought of or had been even conscious of how this would possibly influence possession of the drug in jail. The court docket said, “it appears implausible that the voters meant to primarily decriminalize marijuana in jail.”
Had the general public meant to change the legal guidelines and insurance policies concerning possession of hashish in jail settings, they might have said so explicitly, the court docket dominated. Additional, it could make no sense that voters would want to proceed to criminalize the consumption of hashish in jail, but permit inmates to legally posses it.
The court docket said it was sympathetic to the assertion that state legislation permits for a large disparity in the way in which it treats possession of hashish exterior a correctional facility versus how it’s managed inside, however famous the identical can be true for different substances – alcohol included. These inmates got an eight-year jail sentence for possessing lower than one gram of hashish. The court docket agreed that this might be considered as “unduly harsh.” Nevertheless, the court docket stipulated that it was not within the enterprise of judging the knowledge of public insurance policies. As an alternative, it’s the court docket’s accountability to interpret the statutory language.
The 2 dissenting justices disagreed with the ruling partially. They didn’t take challenge with the matter of the drug’s legality; the truth is, they conceded that marijuana was not authorized for prisoners beneath Prop. 64. The dissent was primarily based on concern about how prosecutors would possibly decide to file costs when statutes overlapped, favoring those who allowed for harsher penalties.
Nonetheless, the bulk ruling was no actual shock. Many different state appellate courts have held the identical, and arguing the legality of holding marijuana in jail was at all times going to be one thing of a protracted shot.
Those that are charged for possession of marijuana in jail would require the companies of an skilled marijuana felony protection lawyer, as they are going to proceed to face the harshest penalties on the books. Our devoted staff of L.A. marijuana attorneys may also help.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, ancillary corporations, sufferers, docs and people going through marijuana costs. Name us at 714-937-2050.
Further Sources:
California v. Raybon, June 11, 2019, California Court docket of Appeals for the third Appellate District
