Florida Supreme Court Upholds State's Drug Law
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — A tough law concerning illegal drugs in the state of Florida will remain just as tough as always.
Friday, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a law that requires anyone caught with illegal drugs in their possession to prove their innocence.
Unlike virtually every other state in the country where it's up to a prosecutor to prove guilt, the 2002 Florida law puts the burden on the person caught with an illegal drug.
For example, if someone wraps a package of cocaine and asks someone else to deliver it to a friend across town and that person gets nabbed, he's automatically in a jam under the Florida law.
The court ruled Thursday that any defendant is presumed to have known what was inside the package was something illegal. Virtually every other state requires prosecutors to convince jurors the defendant knew that the contents were illegal.
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