Being charged for drug possession is a serious crime in most countries and the outcome will depend on where you live and their law. The crucial thing is to know how to behave and what you should and shouldn’t say before and after accusations. Most people don’t know how to react when they get caught which in most cases leads to immediate arrest. This doesn’t have to be the case if you knew what to do.
When they aren’t careful enough, they tend to do an illegal search that works to your advantage but how to know when that is the situation. These are some of the conditions you should know to be able to protect yourself. Another important thing is to know a good attorney. It’s quite easy to find one online just by searching lawyers near me criminal or by name if you have any recommendations.
What to Do Before It Happens?
There are many cases in which cops or anyone with the authority did something they shouldn’t because of a lack of knowledge. This is usually entrance without a warrant because they had an assumption you were hiding something illegal. You have the right to protect yourself against unlawful search which may save you from jail time. They need to get your consent if they don’t have a warrant or a good reason.
It’s important to be polite because they can call for a drug-sniffing dog but even than you can deny the search. The problem occurs when this happens while you are in the vehicle because if they see something through the window or smell something, they have the right to do an examination. Ask them if you are free to leave if they don’t have anything on you for further investigation.
Knowing what they can’t do and what they can is the best thing you can do to defend yourself because many of them lack education. This can intimidate them by knowing more which shows them that they shouldn’t mess with you. If the arrest happens, make sure they read your rights and try to keep silent until you get your attorney.
What to Do When You Get Arrested?
If there is nothing else you can do to prevent it, after the arrest you should ask for a lawyer or call your own. It would be best if you already know who you will call. If you are not prepared, a family member can do it for you and find a trusted attorney. Even if you can’t afford one, they will provide it but these people usually don’t have a perfect winning record.
It’s important that you don’t talk to them or do anything they can add to the charge. Wait for your lawyer who will get familiar with the case and see what would be a proper approach. Their advice will usually be better than the choice you would make without them so listen to what they say and follow the law. Read more on this page.
Charges and Consequences
Understanding what you are dealing with will increase your chances of winning a lot so make sure you understand the charges and consequences that may happen. The first thing on the list can be the intent to sell or deliver it which is a serious offense. Even more severe would be cultivation which means producing or growing. You can get in trouble even if having the right tools for it even without the product.
Similar to selling is the distribution which is a federal crime and leads to devastating penalties. There is a whole other segment related to prescription drugs. The last one is transportation which in many cases is done by people that even don’t know what they are carrying. These are very complicated situations because they will need hard proof.
The consequences can be various depending on the drug, amount, position, and age. Jail or prison sentence is the first outcome in most countries even for the smallest quantity. For some drugs, if you have less than 1 gram, you can get away with a fine but there will be further search and they will have your name noted. They are able to do property or asset seizure and send you to a substance abuse treatment program.
How to Find a Good Lawyer?
Every attorney specializes in a certain field of law which means that your lawyer should have most drug charge cases. It would be best if it is someone you know, maybe a family member or anyone your family knows. This way, you will know that they will be determined to solve the case and invest a lot of their time and effort. There are many of them just looking for a new trial to make some money.
If you don’t have anyone close to you, do online research, and find the best in the business and possibly near you. There are for sure many options to choose from so you can schedule a few meetings to see what they plan. Their approach will be similar but details matter the most and will be the difference between going free and jail time. You can check local associations that will provide licensed attorneys.
Consultations are very important for the start because you will get to know the person that will protect you. Try to see if they are willing to invest their effort into solving it the right way. Maybe they are occupied with many cases at the same time which doesn’t benefit you. Find someone that will always answer your calls and talk to you about the details and what you can do. Get more information here: https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Good-Attorney
Preparing for the trail is the second most important thing because it takes time to figure out what is the best solution. Make sure you provided all the details they need to make the right decision. You can write everything down and give it to the lawyer because it is easier to remember the whole story that way. Better lawyers will be much more expensive but some of them have perfect records.