February 24 2017 in Criminal Defense, Drug Crimes, Legal Blog
In California, drug crimes are taken very seriously. Since the war on drugs was declared in 1971 by Richard Nixon, relatively low-level crimes have been assigned punishments that are consistent with violent felonies. To make things worse, there are certain case elements that can dramatically increas...
February 10 2017 in Federal Marijuana Issues, Legal Blog, Marijuana Charges, Medical Marijuana
With an estimated 2.4 billion dollars in 2014 sales, the cannabis industry is something that many are eager to be a part of in California. Conducting business in California is especially appealing. With loosening regulations and the viability of selling marijuana for a living, this state is one of t...
January 27 2017 in Criminal Defense
The beginning of a new year means that a wide range of new laws and changes to existing laws became effective in California on January 1, 2017. Included in these newly effective laws are some significant changes to criminal laws, with an emphasis on sexual assault and prostitution. Nearly 900 new ...
January 20 2017 in DUI, Legal Blog, Marijuana Charges, Medical Marijuana
As laws regarding the use of marijuana in California have liberalized to include even recreational use, it is tempting to assume that restrictions involving the use of marijuana while driving have liberalized as well. However, that is not the case. The marijuana DUI law in California is extremely re...
January 16 2017 in Media Coverage, Medical Marijuana
California medical marijuana lawyer Jessica McElfresh was interviewed by NBC 7 San Diego about the city of La Mesa’s Measure U allowing the operation of legal medical marijuana dispensaries. McElfresh co-authored Measure U, which was approved by La Mesa voters in November 2016 and permits legal ...
December 13 2016 in Criminal Defense, Felony, Legal Blog
According to a report released by the FBI in November of this year, religiously-motivated hate crimes in the San Diego area have increased by 40 percent over the course of 2015. The authorities recorded 10 religiously motivated hate crimes in 2014, and in 2015 that number rose to 14. The total numbe...
December 9 2016 in Criminal Defense, Legal Blog
As more and more police departments equip their officers with body and dashboard cameras, the authorities are struggling to determine when and if their footage should be released to the public. Is the footage public record, or is it privileged material that should only be released under certain circ...
December 6 2016 in Drug Crimes, Legal Blog
In March of this year, the City Attorney’s office announced a new program that allows repeat nonviolent drug offenders to avoid jail time if they live in government housing and undergo drug treatment and counseling over a two-year period. The program, however, is off to a rocky start as it require...
December 2 2016 in Asset Forfeiture, Legal Blog, Media Coverage, Medical Marijuana, Uncategorized
The case of Med-West Distributors, a legally operating medical cannabis extraction company, continues to capture the attention of national media following raids and seizure of assets by the San Diego joint narcotics task force. Marijuana business raids have been on the rise despite a movement toward...
November 16 2016 in Legal Blog, Media Coverage, Medical Marijuana
Attorney Jessica McElfresh was interviewed by the San Diego Union Tribune about the prospect of recreational marijuana sales in the city and how that might be handled through retail shops. Voters on Nov. 8 approved Proposition 64, a California marijuana legalization measure that permits the use, cu...
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