A recent study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics looked into whether addicts are getting appropriate medications when receiving treatment for opioid medications. Somewhat surprisingly, only 21 percent of the nearly 21,000 patients studied had received buprenorphine or naltrexone, even though the two medications are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Massachusetts man charged with drug possession after search
Police took a 27-year-old man into custody on drug charges on the morning of June 9 after allegedly discovering about five ounces of illegal drugs during a search of his Plymouth County home. The search was conducted with officers attached to the Brockton Police Department's Narcotics Unit assisted by detectives from the Massachusetts State Police. The man has been charged with one count of drug trafficking two counts of drug possession with the intent to distribute.
Appeals court strikes down lifetime supervised release as punitive
A federal appellate court has struck down a lower court's order for lifetime supervised release in a case where the defendants' sentences were shortened by an earlier appeal. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal supervised release program is not to be used punitively against defendants.
Field sobriety tests are voluntary
If law enforcement officers in Massachusetts ever suspect you of drunk or drugged driving, they will ask you to perform certain physical tests so that they can check you for impairment. These tests are called field sobriety tests. While the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration claims that these provide accurate measurements of impairment, the truth is, the results are often somewhat questionable due to their subjective nature.
A defendant's rights after being charged with a crime
The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution gives everyone the right to a speedy trial. If a Massachusetts judge deems that a trial took too long to commence, the case may be dismissed. Typically, the word speedy is defined as a reasonable amount of time depending on the circumstances of a given case. In addition to having a case heard in a reasonable amount of time, a defendant's fate must be determined by an impartial jury.
Tiger Woods blames prescriptions for DUI
Massachusetts residents may have read reports about an incident involving Tiger Woods. Woods was taken into custody by police in Florida on DUI charges on May 29, but the former world number one says that his disoriented demeanor was caused by an unexpected reaction to medication that he had been prescribed by his doctor. Police reports revealed that the four-time Masters winner had no alcohol in his system at the time of the incident.
