It might seem cliche to discuss Florida and cocaine together. These aren’t the days of Miami’s big cocaine boom. Still, Tampa authorities and police throughout the state make cocaine-related arrests relatively routinely.
Men and women find themselves accused of drug crimes tied to cocaine these days, too. And the threat of a conviction is a serious threat against people’s freedoms. If stats published in a recent Washington Times piece are accurate, it is probable that people not just in Florida but in other states will endure cocaine-related arrests.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, the rate of cocaine use has increased in 16 states and decreased in none of the rest. So, while much drug law discussion has been about marijuana in more recent years, it looks as though cocaine still has a hold on people in the country.
The study indicates that about 5 percent of adults admit to having used cocaine in the last year. While the report serves as more of a health warning to the country, it can also serve as a warning of where regulators might set their sights.
To try to combat drug addiction and crime within Florida and the U.S., legislators have tried to wage “war on drugs” in the past. Perhaps that mindset will continue and, therefore, motivate an intensified focus on cocaine possession, manufacturing and trafficking based on the report’s findings.
Cocaine trafficking is taken most seriously according to Florida drug laws. Depending on a person’s background and the amount of cocaine involved, a trafficking conviction could result in three years to a lifetime of imprisonment. Let an aggressive criminal defense lawyer help defend your rights and freedoms from a drug crime conviction.