Four defenses used to challenge flakka and other synthetic drug charges in Arizona; laws, penalties; and what you need to know about Flakka.
Each day we are learning more about the deadly effects of the new street drug “flakka” – a drug described as being so dangerous, that even dealers and those suffering from drug addictions are afraid to use it.
The DEA reported an alarming 780 percent increase in cases over the last three years, largely due to its affordability and accessibility.
In 2012, Mesa Police reported 3,112 DUI arrests. Of those, 41.6 percent involved some type of drugs. This represented a slight increase over 2011 which was 41.2 percent. Many of these involved synthetic drugs, spice, bath salts, Marijuana, and prescription drugs.
To help address the rising drug DUI arrests, Mesa AZ Prosecutor’s Office was awarded a grant for $59,550 earlier this month by the DUI Abatement Council of the AZ GOHS, designed to improve drug DUI prosecution.
Approximately 80% of the grant will be used to design and post an official website which will include materials, arrest logs, and certifications involving DUI field tests for use by criminal defense attorneys in the discovery phase of a DUI case. This is designed to increase efficiency and save on expenses for police to comply with discovery requests by criminal defense attorneys. Currently, it takes police funding and time to produce information on each and every discovery request on paper and via mail.
Arizona DUI & Criminal Defense Attorney Blog