If you are arrested for a marijuana charge, you may experience some serious collateral or direct consequences. You risk criminal penalties such as losing your driver's licence, hefty fines and jail if convicted. With a record or marijuana charges, you also risk losing educational and job opportunities. Though these consequences could overwhelm or scare you at first, you could still get a favourable outcome if you have a competent criminal lawyer to defend you. The lawyer examines the prosecution's case and identifies its weak points so they can develop a strong defence and argue out your case aggressively for a possible outcome.
How Will the Lawyer Build a Defence Strategy for Your Case?
Your criminal defence lawyer will classify the marijuana charges before they craft an effective defence strategy. The details surrounding the marijuana charge will determine the defence they formulate. Though weed has been legalised in some parts of the world, it's still a "controlled dangerous substance" in other countries and states. The lawyer needs to find out and affirm the alleged weight of weed in your case. Were you accused of growing, selling or possessing marijuana? This helps the criminal lawyer to know the defence tactics to use to win the case.
What If You Had the Doctor's Approval to Use Cannabis?
While some people view marijuana as a dangerous substance, others use it to cure certain medical conditions. Using medical cannabis depends on whether you suffer from any of the authorised medical conditions and if the product is legalised in your country or state. Medical marijuana can treat medical conditions such as muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease, nausea, anorexia and mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress and schizophrenia.
But though you are a registered member of the medical cannabis program, you could still face some marijuana charges if you usually exceed the recommended monthly dosage. Taking the right dose at the wrong place, such as in public places or presenting a fake registration card to the arresting officer is also a crime. However, a criminal lawyer will build a strong defence against the prosecution, especially if you comply with the medical marijuana program's terms.
What Help Could You Expect from the Criminal Defence Lawyer?
Despite the circumstances surrounding your marijuana charges, the criminal defence law office should protect your rights. The defence lawyer works hard to stop any unnecessary seizure and search and also demands access to the evidence the prosecution has collected. After examining the prosecution's evidence, the defence lawyer will identify the part to exclude. The lawyer will also analyse the cannabis lab report and chain of custody to demand a pre-trial intervention, conditional discharge or plea agreement. The prosecutor should presume you innocent until they prove your guilt. The consequences of your weed charge will not only depend on the legal options available and evidence presented, but also on how aggressive the criminal defence lawyer is in court.
For more information, reach out to a criminal defence law office.