Huntington Beach Drug Crimes Attorney

Huntington Beach Drug Crimes Attorney Like every community in our state Huntington Beach is not immune to drug crimes. The Huntington Beach drug crimes attorney knows that drug offenses are serious and account for a disproportionate part of the prison population in California.

There are a variety of different kinds of drug crimes, such as dug possession, drug dealing, or drug paraphernalia. In order to distinguish between someone that is intending to personally use a drug versus a person intending to sell to others, officers will often look at the amount of drugs present and how they are packaged. However, there are some discrepancies with the evaluation of what the charges are in certain cases, such and distinguishing between when someone has drugs for personal use or if they have them with the intent to distribute. With a possession of drug paraphernalia, it is considered a misdemeanor to possess any sort of objects having to do with the ingesting of illegal drugs, such as a needle used for drug purposes, cocaine spoons, or certain pipes. A few examples of the drugs that are common with drug crimes are meth, crack, and heroin. Drug crimes are also common with juveniles.

Some common defenses for drug crimes, such as possession, are that the drugs were obtained during an unlawful search and seizure. Because of our fourth amendment rights, there must be probable cause in order for an officer to have been able to search for the drugs in the first place. Included in drug crimes are also crimes involving prescription drugs and those that take illegal measures in order to obtain a substance, such as forging or altering a prescription or having someone else sell it to you.

In California, there is a difference in crimes for having drugs for personal use and having drugs with the intent to sell them. Under 11350 of the Health and Safety Code, it is illegal to possess a controlled substance such as cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, meth, prescription painkillers without an authorized prescription, and others. And under 11351 of the Health and Safety Code, it is a felony offense if you are found guilty of possessing illegal drugs for the purpose of selling. What kind of punishment a drug crime might merit depends greatly on the circumstances. Sometimes these crimes are misdemeanors, which involve less serious punishment, and some are felonies that can have many years of jail time. There are many factors involved in what degree of crime you might be charged with and possibly convicted of.

There are about one thousand people arrested for drug related crimes in Huntington Beach each year—for everything from marijuana possession to more serious drug trafficking and selling charges. Although the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana is now legal in California, there are limitations regarding the quantity one can possess at a given time.

If you find yourself accused of a drug crime, the Huntington Beach drug crimes attorney at the Johnson Criminal Law Group can help you understand the particular circumstances of your case and how best to defend or negotiate your case to get the best outcome. For an initial consultation, call (949) 622-5522 or send a message.