Don’t Get Smoked – What you Need to Know About Medical Marijuana and Driving in Pennsylvania

Whether you love it or hate it, medical marijuana use is here to stay in PA.  That means that a number of our citizens are going to be using marijuana in one form or another and then engaging in the activities of daily life, which include operating motor vehicles.  Our lawyers are former prosecutors who know the laws on marijuana and DUI and help people to navigate them in Mckean, Potter, and Tioga County, PA.

The medical marijuana laws are new, and that means that there is a lot of confusion on the part of the public and law enforcement over the new law in terms of what is permissible and what will get you into trouble fast.  The information provided in this article is taken directly from our own cases and discussions with District Attorneys about their views on medical marijuana and driving.  Below are a few scenarios that illustrate likely outcomes. 

Scenario 1

You have your medical marijuana license.  You go to the dispensary and you purchase some dry leaf and some oils and devices o use the same to deal with your Multiple Sclerosis.  On your way home you are pulled over for a broken tail light.  The officer notices marijuana in your car.  What happens?   

In this scenario, the officer is likely to ask you about the marijuana.  He may also seize it to investigate the marijuana and the related devices to determine whether you have used them to smoke marijuana.  If everything is in order, you will be allowed to get the marijuana back, but you will likely have to go to the station to get it.

Take away:  Have everything in order.  Better not to have the marijuana or devices out in plain sight.  Better to put them in the truck or at least away in bags. 

Scenario 2

You have your medical marijuana license.  You have oils and leafy material at home.  You are pulled over for high beaming the officer.  You have some marijuana in the vehicle as well as devices to ingest it including a pipe.  The officer asks you if you smoked any marijuana recently.  You reply, yes last night. 

In this scenario, the officer may seize the marijuana and devices.  He is also likely to read you implied consent law and attempt to get you to agree to a blood draw. 

Likely outcome – charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.  In PA it is illegal to have any amount of THC (the active ingredients in marijuana) in your blood.  This means that you are likely to get charged with DUI if your blood draw shows any THC.

Take away:  Vaping marijuana with a medical license is lawful.  Smoking marijuana is not legal.  Do not smoke it.  If you do, do not have a smoking device in your car.  There are pipes that will allow you to vape leafy material.  Get the right equipment so you don’t have to worry about a drug paraphernalia or DUI charge.

Scenario 3    

You have your medical marijuana license.  You have oils and leafy material at home.  You are pulled over for high beaming the officer.  You have some marijuana in the vehicle as well as devices to ingest it including a pipe.  The officer asks you if you smoked any marijuana recently.  You reply, no.  I only vape it. 

In this scenario, the officer may seize the marijuana and devices to investigate further and return them later.  In PA it is illegal to have any amount of THC (the active ingredients in marijuana) in your blood, but because you have not smoked it, you are not likely to be charged with DUI unless your blood shows levels way above a therapeutic dose and you show signs of impairment. 

Call us today!   (814) 274-8612

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  Call our attorneys.  We  serve Wellsboro, Mansfield and all of Tioga County PA, Coudersport 16915 and Potter County, and Bradford and McKean County.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people.  Let our attorneys work for you!  We will counsel you on whether to seek ARD, a plea or trial.  The right advice makes all the difference, and each case is different.

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our criinal defense attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or Bradford, Smethport, Port Allegany or elsewhere in McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

 
* Federal law requires the following disclosure: We are a debt relief agency helping people file for relief through bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
***Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  No lawyer-client relationship exists until one of our attorneys meets with you and agrees to accept you as a client.

A debt free life by David Ross | Bradford| Coudersport Bankruptcy Attorney

NerdWallet (you’ve got to love the name) conducted a recent study that found that debt for Americans in 2017 (the most recent year for which complete data is available) has reached an estimated $927 billion (that's billion with a capital B) — a more than 5% increase from the previous year. 

The same study found that the average household has credit card debt with a balance of $15,482. On average, Americans owe $134,058 (including mortgages).

Interestingly, several major spending categories have outpaced income growth over the past decade and Americans are incurring medical expenses at an alarming rate, with much of that ending up on credit cards or in collections.  These trends mirror what our bankruptcy attorneys see locally in Williamsport 17701 and Wellsboro, PA 16901    

What our debt relief and  bankruptcy attorneys do in Bradford, Coudersport, Williamsport and Wellsboro:

Our goal is to help you live a debt free or at least a balanced debt lifestyle.  How do we do that?  First, you should sit down with one of the lawyers at our law firm.  We will analyze your debt and have frank discussions about income, debt, and assets.  There are different kinds of debts and assets.  Not all of them are bad, and they are certainly not equal.  We will help you sort through secured versus unsecured debts and debts that have value, such as a mortgage, which allows you to enjoy your home while building principle and which has tax benefits.

One of the great things about sitting down with our law firm is that we have many more tools available to deal with debt than debt settlement companies.  As attorneys, we have the ability to litigate debt, negotiate debt, contest amounts owed, contest items on your credit report, threaten bankruptcy, file bankruptcy and help you to refinance.  Understanding your debt, how to manage it and reshape it and the tools available to deal with it, is a powerful first step toward debt freedom. 

When you achieve debt freedom, you will no longer have to deal with calls from creditors, embarrassing or harassing calls from collectors, bills in the mail, collections notices from the hospital or any of the other million things that happen when you fall behind.  You can also stop living in fear that the sheriff is going to show up knocking on your door with legal papers or come in and auction off your items or that a creditor will garnish your bank account.  In short, you will know freedom.

If freedom from the bondage of debt sounds good to you, call our bankruptcy attorneys today.  We have offices in Coudersport and Williamsport and serve Wellsboro and Tioga county as well.

Call us today!   (814) 274-8612

 

If you are facing something you cannot handle by yourself or you are ready to quit.  If you are facing a mountain of debt you cannot pay, don't give up.  Call our attorneys.  We  serve Wellsboro, Mansfield and all of Tioga County PA.  We will help you figure out how to get out from the medical bills, loans, credit cards, business debts or whatever the debt is.  Our bankruptcy attorneys care passionately about helping people to be debt free.  Let our bankruptcy attorneys work for you!

If you need help in other areas of the law, our firm handles injury cases, bankruptcy, general litigation, and family law.

When you need help, you can count on us.  Call our debt relief and bankruptcy attorneys if you live in Williamsport, PA 17701, Wellsboro, Tioga County, PA 16901, Potter County 16915 or Bradford, Smethport, Port Allegany or elsewhere in McKean County.  We offer appointments in person and by telephone.   

We do not charge for car accident consultation or for a bankruptcy evaluation. We take most injury cases on a contingency basis, which mean that you will not owe us anything unless we get money for you.  Leave our office armed with powerful information about your rights.  For Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties reach us at (570) 309-6690.  For help in McKean and Potter County 16915, call us at  (814) 274-8612. 

 
* Federal law requires the following disclosure: We are a debt relief agency helping people file for relief through bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
***Legal Disclaimer: The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  No lawyer-client relationship exists until one of our attorneys meets with you and agrees to accept you as a client.