How Can A Defense Lawyer Help You With Drug Charges?

Hiring the best criminal defense lawyer should be your very first step after being charged with drug possession. The importance of hiring an excellent defense attorney to deal with drug charges increases multifold if you are a student because this could not only damage your reputation, but also your education as well as your future.

Before going into the details of how a student’s life gets affected by drug charges and how to deal with them, it is important that we briefly discuss the different types of drug charges and the laws related to them.

Drug Crimes

The cultivation, manufacturing, trafficking, possession, distribution, and consumption of certain drugs are prohibited in the United States under both federal and state laws, and are considered drug crimes. A few examples of banned drugs are cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine.

The United States has strict drug laws to fight against the manufacturing, use and spread of illegal drugs, mainly due to the following reasons:

  • In light of a study by the U.S. Department of Justice (published around 20 years ago), there is a strong connection between the drug users and criminal behavior. It states that those who consume drugs are more likely to be involved in criminal acts.
  • According to other studies, the healthcare problems, accidental injuries and deaths, criminal behavior and other issues that arise because of drugs are costing more than $110 billion dollars per year to the U.S. society.

Drug Crimes and Students

Drug crimes become all the more destructive and damaging when committed by students. This is because when a student is charged with a drug crime, not only is his/her reputation lost among other students and at the institution, but he/she may also lose the loan, grant or any other form of financial aid from the government or from the institution. Even after the completion of their sentence and/or paying the penalty, the student could also have to do any of the following to again become eligible for the aid:

  • Complete a drug rehabilitation program
  • Pass 2 un-announced drug tests conducted by an approved drug rehabilitation program
  • Reverse the conviction or prove it invalid with the help of a defense attorney.

Also, the university may suspend a student facing any kind of drug charges and if the allegations are severe, it may lead to their expulsion.

In addition to drug possession charges, charges for the possession of drug paraphernalia are quite common among students. Drug paraphernalia is defined as any equipment that can be used in the growth, distribution and consumption of illegal drugs. Common items that are considered drug paraphernalia include opium or water pipes, hypodermic needles, vials, miniature spoons, syringes, scales used for weighing the drugs and plastic bags used to distribute them. Often, people are not aware of the items that qualify as drug paraphernalia and hence, unknowingly commit a crime.

It also happens very often that people possess these items for some other uses, but law enforcement will assume they are used for drug crimes and charge them accordingly.

Punishments and Penalties for Drug Crimes

Multiple factors are considered while deciding the punishments and penalties for committing drug crimes. Some of the major factors that are taken into account are:

  • The type of drug used in the crime;
  • The amount of the controlled substance involved in the crime;
  • How many people are involved in the crime;
  • The purpose behind the crime. For example, determining the reason for possessing an illegal drug, whether it was for consumption by the criminal or for distribution among others;
  • The location where the crime was committed;
  • Whether the person charged has a previous criminal record or not.

After considering a host of factors, the court decides the category of the crime, whether it was a felony or a misdemeanor, and punishment and/or penalty for the criminal. The penalty could range anywhere between $4,000 and $10,000, depending on the severity of the crime. The imprisonment could range from 180 days to life, as well as a potential to have your driver’s license suspended for up to 1 year if convicted.      

Why Do You Need To Hire A Criminal Defense Attorney?

Drug charges (no matter right or wrong) are never easy to bear. They put your whole life, including your freedom, reputation and future at stake. There are different laws against different kinds of drug related crimes, and each case is different. Defense lawyers have an in-depth knowledge of all the laws and they know how to mitigate or lessen the severity of the allegations. Therefore it is really important that you hire the best criminal defense lawyer to fight your case in court. The criminal defense attorney can help you in one of the following ways:

  • Collect evidences and witnesses to defend you
  • By cross-examining the witnesses and discrediting the case presented by the prosecution
  • By persuading a prosecutor, judge, or jury to reduce the severity of your punishment.
  • By protecting your rights during all stages of the hearing process.
  • By reducing the charge of your crime and ultimately, the severity of punishment. For example, what was initially charged as a felony might be considered as a misdemeanor through the defense attorney’s arguments, proofs and witnesses.

Also, possession of drug paraphernalia is one of the most common drug crimes that many people unknowingly commit. Not hiring an experienced defense attorney to defend you against the charges for possession of drug paraphernalia could be your worst mistake, and can affect your whole life because it is really difficult to prove in the court that the equipment found in your possession was not meant to be used for anything related to drugs.

Hiring a Defense Lawyer to Fight against Drug Charges

Manufacturing, possession, distribution and consumption of illegal drugs are serious crimes, both at state and federal level, the way they are treated varies by state. If you are charged with any of these drug crimes in Brazos County, it is important that you specifically hire a Brazos County defense attorney to get the best outcome for your case. A Brazos County defense attorney will be more familiar with and have more experience defending cases against the Brazos County prosecutors which can allow for a more advantageous outcome. Mr. Greaves is experienced in finding weaknesses and shortcomings in Brazos County prosecutor’s cases.

For students facing drug related charges, and living in or near Bryan/College Station, the Law Office of Craig M. Greaves has been the top choice in defense attorneys, working more than 15 years handling all sorts of criminal cases, and helping students get their education as well as their life back on track. Mr. Craig M. Greaves is an award winning  criminal defense attorney in town, who believes in helping others, particularly students, with his abilities, talent and experience, and makes sure that he puts out the best defense to remove, or at least mitigate the criminal charges.

Anyone going to the Law Office of Craig M. Greaves does not have to worry that his/her case would be left to a junior defense lawyer who might be in initial stages of his professional life and hence, may not be able to handle the case effectively. Mr. Greaves is the only lawyer in his office and handles each case himself, from the beginning to the end. Mr. Greaves will do everything in his power to ensure your record is kept clean, and that you can move on with your life.

Take control of your future and call Mr. Craig M. Greaves at 979 779 9388, to hire the best criminal defense lawyer to combat not only drug charges but also DUI/DWI, sex crime charges, theft, or assault charges. The Initial in office or phone consultation is always free.