As the “War on Drugs” has raged on for decades, numerous people across the United States have turned to other seemingly legal substances that can allow them to experience a “high” similar to the euphoric effects of many illicit controlled substances. Synthetic drugs are substances that often have the appearance of illegal drugs but are instead use man-made chemicals to deliver what users believe is a legal high.
Because many types of synthetic drugs were made with legal substances, they could be sold in many different kinds of stores without any kind of prescription or identification requirement as most packages were marketed as being “incense,” “potpourri,” or something similar.
Synthetic drugs, however, were blamed for a dramatic increase in emergency room visits throughout the nation, and lawmakers in Florida have taken numerous steps to make all kinds of synthetic substances illegal.
The end result is now to the point that synthetic drug crimes can carry penalties that are just as steep as those associated with the actual controlled substances they are intended to mimic.
Attorney for Synthetic Drugs Arrests in West Palm Beach, FL
Do you think that you could be under investigation or were you already arrested in South Florida for an alleged criminal offense involving a synthetic drug? You should exercise your right to remain silent until you have legal counsel. Contact Meltzer & Bell, P.A. for help protecting your rights.
Lawrence Meltzer and Steven Bell are criminal defense lawyers in West Palm Beach who aggressively defend clients accused of drug crimes in Jupiter, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Wellington, and many surrounding areas of Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade County, and Broward County.
Call (561) 557-8686 to have our attorneys provide an honest and thorough evaluation of your case during a free, confidential consultation.
Overview of Synthetic Drugs Crimes Palm Beach County
- What are considered synthetic drugs in Florida?
- How are these types of crimes graded?
- Where can I find more information about synthetic drugs in West Palm Beach?
Types of Synthetic Drugs in Florida
Occasionally referred to as “designer drugs,” synthetic drugs are chemically-laced substances that are intended to provide hallucinogenic effects similar to illegal drugs. The chemicals that are used to make these designer drugs are not prohibited, providing users with a “legal high” even though packaging on such products may be labeled as “not for human consumption.”
One of the most common types of synthetic drugs is synthetic cannabinoids, more commonly known as “synthetic marijuana.” These types of drugs may be marketed as an “herbal smoking mixture.”
Synthetic cannabinoids are often dried, shredded plant-like material that has been sprayed with chemicals, but some cannabinoids may be oils designed to be inhaled in electronic vaporizers or “e-cigarettes.” Some of the popular brand names of such cannabinoids include, but are not limited to:
- 8-Ball;
- Atomic Bomb;
- Aztec;
- Black Kush;
- Black Magic;
- Black Mamba;
- Black Widow;
- Blaze;
- Bombay Blue;
- California Dreams;
- Cowboy Kush;
- Daisy Potpourri;
- Dead Man Walking;
- Dream;
- Extreme Herbal incense;
- F.U.B.A.R.;
- Genie;
- H2;
- Head Trip;
- Hysteria;
- Journey;
- K2;
- King Cobra;
- Kronic;
- Kush;
- Mr. Nice Guy;
- MYSTIC;
- Pleasure;
- Posh;
- Pulse;
- Red Magic;
- Spice;
- Ultra;
- Voodoo;
- Wicked;
- XXX;
- Yucatán Fire;
- Zero Gravity; and
- Zoom.
Another common type of synthetic drugs is synthetic cathinones, commonly referred to as “bath salts.” Depending on the specific product, these drugs usually mimic the effects of such controlled substances as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy, or Molly), methamphetamine, cocaine, or many others
Synthetic cathinones are often sold as powders that can be snorted or smoked or as liquids that can be smoked using the same vaping devices as synthetic cannabinoids. Some of the popular brand names of synthetic cannabinoids include, but are not limited to:
- Arctic Blast;
- Bloom;
- Blue Silk;
- Bolivian Blast;
- C Original;
- Charge Plus;
- Cloud Nine;
- Drone;
- Energy-1;
- Flakka;
- Gold Rush;
- Hurricane Charlie;
- Ivory Wave;
- Lunar Wave;
- Meow Meow;
- Mr. Nice Guy;
- Ocean Burst;
- Ocean Snow;
- Plant food or plant fertilizer;
- Pure Ivory;
- Purple Sky;
- Purple Wave;
- Red Dove;
- Route 69;
- Scarface;
- Sextasy;
- Snow Leopard;
- Stardust;
- Vanilla Sky;
- White Dove;
- White Knight;
- White Lightning;
- White Night;
- Wicked X; and
- Zoom.
Synthetic Drugs Penalties in West Palm Beach
The classification of a criminal offense involving a synthetic drug depends on the specific type of chemical that was used in the synthetic substance involved. Florida Statute § 893.03(1)(c) currently lists over 200 different “analogs” that include specific synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones.
The chemicals listed under this statute frequently have complex names such as 25I-NBOMe (4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxy-[N-(2-methoxybenzyl)]phenethylamine). As new legal chemicals are devised to create synthetic drugs with, the attorney general is often signing emergency orders to add more substances to this list of Schedule I illegal drugs.
An alleged offender accused of possession, sale, manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver a synthetic drug classified as a Schedule I controlled substance will be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
The charges may be enhanced to a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000 if the alleged offense occurs in, on, or within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising any of the following:
- A child care facility between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight;
- A public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight;
- A state, county, or municipal park;
- A community center (meaning “a facility operated by a nonprofit community-based organization for the provision of recreational, social, or educational services to the public”);
- A publicly owned recreational facility;
- A public or private college, university, or other postsecondary educational institution;
- A physical place for worship at which a church or religious organization regularly conducts religious services;
- A convenience business (meaning “any place of business that is primarily engaged in the retail sale of groceries, or both groceries and gasoline, and that is open for business at any time between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.”);
- A public housing facility; or
- An assisted living facility (meaning “any building or buildings, section or distinct part of a building, private home, boarding home, home for the aged, or other residential facility, whether operated for profit or not, which undertakes through its ownership or management to provide housing, meals, and one or more personal services for a period exceeding 24 hours to one or more adults who are not relatives of the owner or administrator”).
In the event that a synthetic drug does not contain a chemical listed under Florida Statute § 893.03(1)(c), the alleged offender can face criminal charges that are based on the controlled substance that the synthetic drug is intended to mimic.
Prosecutors may attempt to argue that an alleged synthetic drug was “substantially similar” to a listed controlled substance—meaning that a there was only a small change in the structure of what would have otherwise have been an illegal drug—to justify such charges.
Certain types of synthetic drugs that are intended to mimic prescription drugs may be classified as a “new drug” under Florida Statute § 499.03, and possession of such substances constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or fine of up to $500. Possession was with the intent to sell, dispense, or deliver a new drug is a third-degree felony.
Florida Resources for Synthetic Drugs Offenses
Drug Abuse Trends in Palm Beach County Florida: July 2015 — View the full text of an annual report from the Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition that examines all kinds of drug abuse trends in Palm Beach County. One section dedicated to “Emerging Drugs and Patterns of Drug Use” specifically covers synthetic cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids. The report states that alpha-PVP (Flakka) is the “most dramatic emerging drug problem in Southeastern Florida.”
Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition
2300 High Ridge Rd.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
(561) 374-7627
Protecting Floridians from Synthetic Drugs — Visit this section of the Florida Attorney General’s website to learn more about the actions that office has taken in relation to synthetic drugs. You can learn more about the executive order the attorney general signed in 2011 as well as other scheduling actions the office has taken relating to synthetic drugs. You can also view an informational pamphlet, read recent news releases, and find links to assorted national resources.
Synthetic Drugs Defense Lawyer in West Palm Beach, FL
If you were arrested or believe that you might be under investigation for an alleged synthetic drug crime in South Florida, it is in your best interest to not say anything to authorities until you have legal representation. Meltzer & Bell, P.A. can fight to possibly get these criminal charges reduced or dismissed.
Florida law also regulates emerging substances, not yet included in the schedules, under s. 893.0356, F.S., the Analogue Statute. An analog drug is substantially similar in chemical structure and potential for abuse to a drug already prohibited by statute and is treated the same as the controlled substance to which it is an analog for the purpose of assigning criminal penalties.
West Palm Beach criminal defense attorneys, Lawrence Meltzer and Steven Bell, represent individuals all over Broward County, Palm Beach County, and Miami-Dade County, including Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, and several other nearby communities.
These attorneys can review your case and answer all of your legal questions when you call (561) 557-8686 or fill out an online form to schedule a free initial consultation.
This article was last updated on Friday, March 23, 2018.
