A recent examination of Minnesota records revealed that 85 felons did not submit a required DNA sample in 2010. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi asked Richard Dusterhoft to re-examine case files after it was brought to his attention that some DNA samples weren’t collected. Dusterhoft, who works in the criminal division, said he was alarmed by what […]
Correlations between Adolescent Brain Development and Risky Behavior
Laurence Steinberg, who teaches psychology at Temple University, recently gave a lecture at the University of Minnesota on brain development and its impact on adolescent behavior. His lecture, titled “Should the Science of Adolescent Brain Development Inform Legal Policy?” focused on the factors that influence adolescents in their decision making. Steinberg compared an adolescent brain […]
Heroin Use is Up in Minnesota
New reports have surfaced indicating a startling rise in heroin use throughout central Minnesota. According to DEA agent Brent Fair, heroin has replaced methamphetamine as the most troubling drug of choice. In the last month alone, there have been 5 overdoses and 2 deaths in the St. Cloud metro. Minnesota-wide, there was a 68% increase […]
The Politics of Medical Marijuana
Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. has had numerous opportunities to discuss marijuana’s value as a medicine. In 1996, California and Arizona passed voter initiatives authorizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Around the same time, Barry McCaffrey, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, stated his agency’s position that marijuana is a dangerous drug […]
Prescription Drug DWI Part 3: The Defenses
We’ve already covered the laws and procedures of a Prescription Drug DWI charge. Now let’s take a look at the possible defenses to a Prescription Drug DWI. A DWI charge carries the same consequences whether the driver is under the influence of alcohol or a prescription drug. However, because of the tentative legal status of […]
