Police throughout Wisconsin are diligent in their efforts to enforce state and federal drug laws. In some cases, police operatives even go undercover to arrange drug deals that may lead to an arrest.

In a recent case like this, four women were taken into custody on meth charges in Arcadia. According to the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Office, the women have been accused of selling methamphetamine. The arrests took place as a part of an undercover operation on Sept. 10. The arrested women were 38, 41, 47 and 50 years of age.

The Trempealeau County Sheriff's Office conducted the covert operation, which involved an undercover operative who allegedly purchased meth from one of the women. Three additional women who were in the first woman's care were also arrested.

Sometimes people accused of crimes find themselves in trouble with the law because they actually committed a criminal act. Other times, they get arrested because they were spending time with the wrong group of friends at the wrong time. Still, in other cases, police are completely misguided and arrest someone who is completely uninvolved in the alleged crimes.

In a recent drug bust, we can't know whether the people the authorities arrested are guilty of their alleged crimes until the conclusion of their criminal cases. Until they confess to the crimes by pleading guilty, or until a criminal court finds them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, these individuals remain innocent in the eyes of the law.

The arrests and alleged drug bust happened in Fitchburg on a recent Monday. Police apprehended four young men, two 19-year-olds, a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old. Police carried out the arrests at approximately 10 a.m. Three of the men were arrested for violating probation. One was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

No one intends to get arrested and accused of drug crimes, but sometimes -- whether it's because they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time or they actually committed a narcotics-related offense -- Wisconsin residents may find themselves in trouble with the law. In one recent case, Madison-area law enforcement authorities arrested and charged two men with possessing large quantities of heroin and selling it to smaller drug dealers in the region.

On June 26, police arrested a 40-year-old Sun Prairie man and a 39-year-old town of Madison man. The arrest was made on tentative heroin possession charges with the intent to maintain a drug house and deliver drugs.

The operation was completed by the Dane County Narcotics Task Force, the Wisconsin State Division of Criminal Investigation. Members of these police agencies entered and searched both of the men's separate residences -- presumably with search warrants -- proceeded to search the homes and ultimately arrested the men.

After years of different states legalizing same-sex marriage, the federal government finally legalized same-sex marriage for all across the entire United States. Could the same thing happen for marijuana? Not exactly, but many more states would likely come on board if the federal government decided to legalize the substance.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer recently introduced a new piece of law that -- if passed -- would decriminalize marijuana under federal law and remove the drug from the federal government's controlled substances list. The proposed law is dubbed the "Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act."

According to Schumer, "The time to decriminalize marijuana is now." the senator described the legislation as "the right thing to do." He said that he hopes the legislation offers an approach that is sufficiently balanced to gain bipartisan support, not only in Congress, but also throughout the nation.

When you think about drug paraphernalia, you think about pipes, bongs and needles. However, virtually anything -- even a piece of fruit or other common household items like tin foil -- could be considered drug paraphernalia if authorities find it in the right context.

Imagine police obtain a warrant to search your vehicle or your residence. Now, imagine they search your entire house and they don't find any drugs. However, they do find a digital scale, a crumpled up ball of tinfoil, an apple and little plastic baggies and a pipe. If they don't find any drugs or drug residue to go along with these items, you're probably in the clear. However, if they find these otherwise innocent items in the following contexts, they could be deemed drug paraphernalia:

A digital scale