An event designed to promote local Georgia entrepreneurs attracted a wide variety of participants including one who was openly selling marijuana edibles, which included brownies, pudding and cereal treats. According to law enforcement officials, a third party hosted and arranged the event, and a spokesperson for the church denied it had any knowledge of the illegal activities conducted on its property.
A second individual was also arrested but was not alleged to have actually sold the illegal substances on the church property. Undercover narcotics agents apparently became aware of the suspects’ activities through postings on social media advertising the illegal edibles and made purchases at the church event. The two face felony charges.
Georgia laws are among the harshest in the nation as concerns marijuana. Unlike other states, there is no such thing as legal recreational use, and even medicinal use of marijuana is very closely regulated. Here, in addition to the allegation of the sales, a search of the suspects’ home and automobile netted a large quantity of edibles, cash and a loaded firearm that may have been in possession of the suspect while on church grounds.
Drug crime offenses are prosecuted vigorously in Georgia and courts often hand down maximum penalties. For those charged with a crime or those who suspect they are being investigated, it may seem hopeless. While it’s true the government’s power in such matters is formidable, it is not without limits. A drug crime defense lawyer understands that each accused has constitutional rights that may not be violated. A vigorous defense may be able to find weaknesses in what even seems to be an open and shut case.