By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney Colorado Criminal Drug Law – Pre-Booking Diversion – Getting Out Of The Criminal Justice System – A pilot program in Maryland called STEER provides for a diversion point utilized by the police to “deflect” certain drug crimes cases out of the system and into treatment programs before those cases are filed and lives are ruined by that very same system. The truth is … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney Revisiting The Colorado Drug Crime Wobbler Law 18-1.3-103.5 In 2018 – Colorado’s Wobbler law 18-1.3-103 is alive, well and working in 2018. The Colorado Court Of Appeals has described the purpose of Colorado’s Wobbler Law is to allow offenders to “avoid a drug felony conviction” and its concomitant adverse collateral consequences if they successfully complete their community-based sentences. § 18-1.3-103.5(1) The “Wobbler” – … Read The Rest

A 2017 Guide To Colorado (Medical) Marijuana Cultivation & Plant Count Rights 18-18-406 By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer A 2017 Guide To Colorado (Medical) Marijuana Cultivation & Plant Count Rights – There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the rights of Colorado citizens to grow and use medical marijuana plants especially those with Medical Marijuana licenses. To Understand The Right To Grow Marijuana Plants In Colorado One Needs To … Read The Rest

Why Locking Up Colorado Drug Offenders Makes No Sense And Does NOT Work – It has been my experience that incarcerating those addicted to drugs – is a mistake. What follows are good – solid arguments for not jailing those who struggle with drugs. Jailing Drug Offenders – Not A Deterrent There exists a very large body of evidence that supports the argument all criminal defense lawyers should always make at sentencing – that is … Read The Rest

A new bill signed by Governor Hickenlooper today makes it unlawful for a Colorado Judge to prohibit, as a condition of bond, the use of medical marijuana as long as the user has a valid medical marijuana registration card. The new law is not effective until 90 days past the adjournment of the date legislature (August 9, 2017) however a moral argument can be made that Judges should enforce the new law before it’s effective date.   … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer In 2016, the Colorado State Legislature passed H.B. 16-1390 (Effective date August 10, 2016. This bill contains several sections but the purpose of this short article is to call attention to an addition to the law’s exemptions from criminal responsibility and grant of immunity to children who are involved with an overdose situation. The adult version of the law is found in 18-1-711 CRS, (see … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer The Right Of The Police To Impound Your Car – A New Colorado Case Calls Into Question A Troubling Practice  A new Colorado case may bring to an end the indiscriminate impounding of cars by Colorado police departments. In the case of People v. Carl A. Brown, 2016COA150 (October 20, 2016) the Colorado Court of Appeals held that Colorado police department policies permitting the impounding of a … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer Giving A Friend A Prescription IS A Colorado Crime -18-18-405 – But  It Is NOT A Conspiracy – The dangers of giving a friend at work, at home, or on vacation – anywhere – a prescription drug which drug was written as a prescription only to you – are very real. The bad news is a recent Colorado case affirmed that even a gift of your prescription drug … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crime Criminal Defense Lawyer September 15, 2015 – Colorado Criminal Law – Amendment 64 – What Happens When The Penalty For A Colorado Crime Changes? – A common question that I receive is the following: When there is a change in the criminal law – either the abolishment of a crime or a change in the penalty for that crime is – does the change apply retroactively to my … Read The Rest

Obtaining Controlled Substances By Fraud and Deceit: 18-18-415 By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Prescription Fraud Criminal Defense Lawyer Colorado’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), Prescription Fraud Trap Deepens, Obtaining Controlled Substances By Fraud and Deceit: 18-18-415 – Last year I wrote about a database system that requires Pharmacists and other medical professionals to input their controlled substance prescriptions. FAQ – Colorado Criminal Law – The Defense of Colorado Criminal Prescription Fraud Cases Colorado … Read The Rest

Colorado Drug Prescription Fraud – Can The Doctor Testify Against Me? By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer Colorado Drug Prescription Fraud – Can The Doctor Testify Against Me? – In a recent case in Colorado (People v. Moon 2015) – The Colorado Court of Appeals looked at the right of a patient to prevent a doctor – pursuant to the doctor – patient privilege (confidential communications – from testifying against the … Read The Rest

By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer For Teachers and Nurses The Impact Of Drug Crime Convictions On Colorado Teacher License Certification – A recent article in the Denver Post addressed the reasons why Colorado teachers had lost their right to practice their profession. (The cases were reviewed by FOX31 Denver….33 teachers lost their licenses in the past ten years associated with drugs; teachers caught “possessing mushrooms,” “selling heroin,” stealing “prescriptions from … Read The Rest

by H. Michael Steinberg – Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer (defending drug crime probation violations) Email the author at [email protected] In a recent article by Sadie Gurman of the Denver Post – syndicated in the Star Tribune by the AP.. a clear example of what can happen to a person on drug crimes probation who repeatedly uses drugs (in this case Meth) and has hot results in mandatory drug testing analysis. In Arapahoe County … Read The Rest

by H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer – Email The Author The Issue Of Competency To Stand Trial In Colorado is complex and requires a thorough understanding of the Colorado’s laws, rules and regulations governing the procedures followed by the courts when a defendant is believed to be incompetent to stand trial or to assist in their defense. The Legal Standard of Incompetence and Statutory Provisions Governing a Referral for a Competency Evaluation In … Read The Rest

  By H. Michael Steinberg – Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney Colorado Prescription Fraud Charges – Understanding Why People Become Addicted To Painkillers And Heroin – The evolution of overdose deaths in Colorado due to prescription drugs originates from easily obtained prescriptions for such serious and highly addictive drugs as oxycodone or percocet. Prescription drugs, not street drugs, are the leading cause of overdose deaths in Colorado. More than 350 Coloradans deaths were … Read The Rest