In 2017 there was an estimated 1,632,921 drug violations and arrest made. That number has grown since then, and being that you’re reading this post, it’s safe to assume that you or someone you know has been charged with drug possession.
If that’s the case, the actions you take following the arrest will make or break your case. And it can be the difference in you spending lots of time behind bars or walking away with a fine to pay, but what you do next matters.
Read below to find out what you need to do after you’ve been arrested and hit with a drug possession charge.
Table of Contents
After the Arrest
After being arrested for drug possession, you’ll likely be in jail waiting to hear what happens next. Two options will be told to you by the people working in the jail conducting your processing.
The first is they will tell you what your bail has been set at, and then you’ll begin the process of attempting to bail yourself out. If you’re not able to bail yourself out, you’ll be moved to a different part of the jail until you get ready to go to court.
But, if you’re told that you’re not being given a bail amount, you’ll wait until you’ve been processed and moved to another floor until you’re due to go to court.
Select a Lawyer
If you’re able to bond out of jail, the first thing you need to do is hire a legal team to represent you in court. The team that you hired needs to be experienced in handling cases like yours. And you need to take time to ask them what their success rate is when dealing with drug possession charges.
If they’ve not dealt with cases like yours or have a low winning percentage, the best decision that you can make is to move forward with a different legal team. The last thing you want to do is hire a team that not only loses your cases but also makes the consequences that you’re handed by the judge worse than they could’ve’ been.
After you’ve determined the legal team you want to work with, you’ll then craft a defense.
Crafting Your Defense
Your defense is what you’ll use to prove that the drugs you had weren’t yours. And in some cases, this may be the case that the drugs weren’t yours, but the courts can’t take your word for it. You’ve got to provide evidence and strong facts that support the claim.
One way to do this is having your legal team argue that you were not aware the drugs were present. This could be the defense used if you allow others to use your car, and you weren’t aware that they were doing drugs or if you received a package and didn’t know what was in it.
Another defense that you can use is that you didn’t have the drugs. This can prove if you were in an area where various people and the drugs weren’t found on your person.
Or if you’ve allowed people into your home to stay and weren’t aware of the items they were keeping in their room. The last defense you can use is one of the strongest defenses that we will list was an improper search used by the police.
If the police conducted an improper search or abused the authority that they’ve given, you may be able to have your drug charges dropped altogether.
Research Your Charges
Following your arrest, you need to take the time to research the consequences that follow getting caught with drugs. Depending on the type of drugs that you’re charged with possessing, the consequences will vary drastically.
The reason for this is that each drug falls under a varying classification of drugs. Drugs are classified on a scaled of 1-5. Schedule one classified drugs are drugs that aren’t used for medical purposes and only recreationally by users.
Schedule two classified drugs can are for medical purposes but also recreationally. Schedule three drugs can help combat various medical reasons. Schedule four and five classified drugs fall under prescription drugs. The difference between these two classifications is scheduled five drugs show low chances of becoming addicted to them.
Doing your research will help you to better prepare for court.
Consider Entering a Treatment Program
If you’re charged with drug possession and see no way to lessen the consequences that you face, there is something that you can do. You can enter into a treatment program as a way of showing the court and judge that you’re serious about turning over a new leaf and not making the same mistakes again.
Depending on the system where your case will occur, you may avoid jail time by completing your treatment program. But, to know that you’ll first have to speak with your lawyer and judge about entering a program beforehand.
Charged With Drug Possession 101
When you’re charged with drug possession, you’ve got to know what to do next to avoid facing hefty consequences. Doing your research and selecting a legal team that knows what they are doing will be some of the most crucial things that you can do to help improve the results of your case.
You may be looking for a way to relax and take your mind off your impending court case. If so, scroll through some of the other posts on our site. We’re sure you’ll find something to read that will aid in your relaxation.
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