Recently, my office has represented multiple clients for charges stemming from working at a business holding itself out as a legitimate medical marijuana dispensary, but in reality they were not licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In very simple terms, Arizona law states that it is illegal for someone to sell marijuana to another. The law applies even if the person selling the marijuana has a medical marijuana card and is selling to another person with a medical marijuana card. Not only is it illegal to sell, but it is illegal for anything of value to be traded for the marijuana.
Because the companies my clients were working for were not registered dispensaries, they were essentially selling marijuana illegally. What makes my clients’ cases interesting is that they were not involved in the day-to-day operations of the business; they were simply hourly employees. Although the businesses were operating without a license, they were very organized operations. They had policy and procedures and for all intents and purposes, if one did not know any better, they would believe it was a legitimate dispensary.
Even though my clients were not responsible for business operations, they were charged with the same crimes the owners of the business faced. These charges include, but weren’t limited to, racketeering, unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of narcotic drugs, marijuana trafficking and money laundering. These charges are extremely serious. If convicted, our clients would have undoubtedly spent years in prison.
I felt terrible for my clients. They were good people who were being held accountable for other’s mistakes. As one of Arizona’s leading criminal defense law firms, we take great priding in helping our clients get through difficult situations. We use our experience, training and legal knowledge to overcome these unjust laws wrongfully imposed upon our clients.
If you are a marijuana dispensary or an employee at a dispensary and you are facing marijuana charges, my office can help you avoid prison and a felony conviction. We understand the Medical Marijuana Act and are prepared to begin investigating your case and showing the prosecutor evidence that you did not do anything wrong and should not be prosecuted.
Author Bio
Matthew L. Lopez
Matthew L. Lopez is the Managing Attorney and founder of Matthew Lopez Law, a criminal defense and DUI firm serving clients throughout Arizona. His track record of case dismissals and charge reductions has earned him honors, including a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 nomination, a “Superb” 10/10 Avvo rating, and a Rising Star designation by Super Lawyers.
Matthew is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and holds active memberships with the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice and the Arizona Association for Justice. His firm handles criminal defense, DUI, drug charges, and traffic offenses, offering free consultations and affordable payment plans to make quality defense accessible to all Arizonans.
