On May 25, 2017 Attorney Brian Manchester became the first lawyer in the United States to have a synthetic marijuana analogue drug statute declared unconstitutional by a state or federal supreme court. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the case of Commonwealth v. Herman found that the former analogue based synthetic cannabinoid statute was unconstitutionally vague. They also found that in order to prove a defendant guilty of the Pennsylvania State Designer Drug statute the government must prove that a defendant knew that the compound they were selling has a substantially similar chemical structure to a scheduled drug. This is a requirement that will make it extremely difficult to prove in court.
This is a significant victory in that it is the first time ever a court recognized that an analogue based statute is too vague. Synthetic cannabinoids, also called synthetic marijuana, K2, or Spice are man made compounds designed to mimic marijuana and its effects. The compound in the Herman case was PB-22. Brian Manchester used several experts including John W. Huffman who is widely considered the best expert in the world on synthetic cannabinoids and is the creator of many different synthetic cannabinoid compounds.
Synthetic cannabinoid, K2, Spice cases are very complex cases to defend. It requires a high level of analytical and organic chemistry related knowledge. Attorney Manchester possesses such knowledge through his training at Axion Labs in Chicago as well as his membership in the American Chemical Society and his certification as a Lawyer-Scientist through the American Chemical Society. Not just that but he regularly defends these cases and is asked to consult on many other cases by lawyers from across Pennsylvania. If you or someone you know has been arrested for synthetic drugs, synthetic marijuana, K2, Spice, or any drug case call 1-800-243-4878. Very few lawyers in the country ever get a nation-wide setting precedent. Brian Manchester did and he will use those same skills to defend your case.