How to tell if you’re prone to drug offenses?

Did you know that you do not have to be a drug dealer to get caught for drug-related offenses? Usage of drug or possession of it puts you under the scrutiny of being a drug abuser, as well as the consequences that may come with using the drugs. You could be using the drugs by yourself, but it can result in you harming another person under the influence. There could also be instances when you were only in possession of drugs and nothing wrong happened, yet you got caught. In any of these circumstances, drug defense attorneys can help you deal with these matters more professionally. 

Types of Drug offenses  

There are some drugs that you are not allowed to keep in your possession and intent to sell or have for your personal use. Marijuana, LSD, Cocaine, etc., are drugs whose possession can lead you into trouble. The punishments are usually decided based on the crime and the severity of its impact.

• Drug-related offenses: Excessive use of the drug could land you into financial troubles, and you could be committing theft or buying drugs through illegal means. 
• Decriminalized drugs: Recreational Marijuana is not banned anymore as long you are 21 years of age or over and not using it in places like education facilities or any other facility with children there. You would want to prevent being an offender of the law and only use it inside your homes. Often people do not realize that despite the decriminalization of the drug, there are issues related to it that can still make you prone to a drug offense. 
• Involvement in illegal activities: When drugs constitute a large part of your life, they affect your socialization and the community you surround yourself with. This is like to make you more prone to commit an offense under the influence of drugs. Some of the laws that come under this are acts of aggression committed against a person and non-conformity with state laws.
• Intent to sell: Possession of drugs to sell them has a longer jail sentence. You do not need to be a drug dealer to be convicted of the crime, and if the police think you had the intention to sell or share it with friends, it makes you an offender under this category. 

Sentences for drug offenders by law

Minors are handed warnings, and the record of offense stays with the police as per law. However, the law has various penalties for adults, and your history of a criminal record is considered when deciding the penalties. Some of the penalties under law are: 

• Heavy Fines 
• Imprisonment (length of jail time varying according to offense)
• Probation 
• Community Service 
• Taking away civil liberties if you are found guilty of abusing them

Drug defense attorneys can help sort legal matters and negotiate sentences for you. In cases where punishment is jail time, the attorney can negotiate a reduction in the duration of jail time or an alternate penalty to jail time.