Bucks County Marijuana Possession Lawyer
A marijuana conviction, whether it is in possession of marijuana or possession with intent to deliver marijuana, can wreak havoc on your record. It can cause you to lose employment opportunities and your license, and could potentially bar you from attending functions at your children’s schools.
While it is not as hard as other drugs, marijuana is still illegal in most states, and can still result in a criminal offense. A conviction from marijuana or a conviction for a higher level of drugs, such as cocaine, is treated in the same fashion when a record is produced. However, when dealing with marijuana cases with the assistance of an experienced lawyer, an individual may be able to have drug charges involving marijuana reduced to summary offenses unrelated to narcotics, such as disorderly conduct, or to an offense that is just a violation of a local ordinance.
Under those two circumstances, a marijuana conviction will not show as a marijuana conviction and will reflect on a person’s record, if at all, as a citation that is equal to a traffic citation thus, not affecting their license, their employment, and their reputation. If you are currently in a situation like this, contact a Bucks County marijuana possession lawyer who may be able to build a strong defense for you.
Dealing with a Marijuana Possession Case
In most cases when dealing with defending any sort of narcotics type of case, courts, as well as prosecutors, will often look to the type of drugs to determine what, if any, treatment is necessary and what level of concern is placed upon what a person is facing.
Drugs that society deems are higher level, prescription drugs, street-level narcotics such as cocaine and its derivatives such as crack cocaine, heroin, other opiates, LSD, and anything along those lines. Courts, particularly in Bucks County, treat those drugs very seriously. For users, long periods of probation and treatment are often recommended. For sellers of those drugs, long state sentences involving incarceration and other means often come into play.
Citations in Marijuana Possession Cases
When dealing specifically with marijuana, depending on the circumstances of a specific marijuana arrest, a small amount of marijuana can often be treated in a minimal fashion. In fact, one of the surrounding counties of Bucks County, Philadelphia County, will only issue a citation for an amount of marijuana that is less than 10 grams.
Bucks County does not issue such citations. However, it is more likely to remove a drug charge for a small amount of marijuana and reduce that charge to a disorderly conduct graded as a summary offense. These are things that could be worked out between the Commonwealth and an individual’s attorney when the preliminary hearing is scheduled for such cases. When larger amounts of marijuana are involved and in a manner consistent with possessing with the intent to deliver, the courts treat that very seriously.
Thus, an individual who has a small amount of personally used marijuana is treated significantly different than an individual who is in possession of a few pounds of marijuana. Depending on the circumstances, the manner of sale versus use, and the way an individual deals with the arresting police officers dictates what, if anything, a person is facing when dealing strictly with a marijuana case in Bucks County.
Instances Where Marijuana Charges are Judged with More Leniency
In cases in Bucks County, marijuana charges are given more leniencies when resolved at the district court or magisterial district court level. That is prior to a case continuing on to the court of common pleas. If a matter is resolved at the district court level where a district justice has the authority to dispose of a case as high as the summary offense, small amounts of marijuana could be dealt with in a very clear way and done in a harsh manner. It is having the right lawyer during that magisterial justice hearing and having a lawyer with the knowledge and ability to negotiate the lower charge affects an individual’s record in a much different way than a marijuana charge does.
Even having a small amount of marijuana possession on one’s record could affect one’s license and employment. If under the right circumstances, it could even cause them to be charged with driving under the influence. Therefore, if such a charge goes to a summary or local ordinance level offense, an individual faces a fine as opposed to a probationary period. That is the type of charge that will not affect the person’s record, employment, license, or future.
Leniency Regarding Marijuana Charges
In cases in Bucks County, marijuana charges are given more leniencies when resolved at the district court or magisterial district court level. That is prior to a case continuing on to the court of common pleas. If a matter is resolved at the district court level where a district justice has the authority to dispose of a case as high as the summary offense, then in those cases small amounts of marijuana could be dealt with in a very clear way. By working with a Bucks County marijuana possession lawyer with the knowledge and ability to negotiate the lower charge during the magisterial justice hearing, an individual could potentially avoid the more serious consequences that accompany a possession charge.
Even having a small amount of marijuana possession on one’s record could affect one’s license and employment. If under the right circumstances, it could even cause them to be charged with driving under the influence. Therefore, if such a charge goes to a summary or local ordinance level offense, an individual faces a fine as opposed to a probationary period. That is the type of charge that will not affect the person’s record, employment, license, or future.
Benefit of Contacting a Bucks County Marijuana Possession Lawyer
Marijuana possession charges might seem more serious than charges for harder drugs, but it can have serious consequences for individuals. The consequences can affect your personal and professional life, which is why it is important to seek the counsel of an attorney. Contact a Bucks County marijuana possession lawyer who may be able to help you build a strong defense.