Cherry Hill, NJ Drug Possession Attorneys

criminal

If you are charged with possession of drugs in New Jersey, you have many factors to consider. Speaking with an attorney at Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C. is the first step to coming to the most positive solution to your legal matter. Drug offenses can be a financial and social burden. Don’t let a drug charge affect your livelihood.

It is important to determine how your case is going to proceed. You should consider the following factors:

  • The type of drugs found;
  • The amount of drugs found;
  • If the drugs were packaged for personal use or distribution; and
  • If you have ever been previously convicted of a drug offense.

A possession charge can range anywhere from a personal amount to enough to distribute. Drugs in New Jersey are classified by schedules. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous. Schedule II, III, IV, and V drugs gradually decline in the risk of abuse and addiction. Each schedule and amount of drugs comes with its own system of fines, drug programs, possible jail time, and other penalties New Jersey has deemed appropriate.

Drug distribution is a separate charge from possession. If you are charged with drug distribution, you should speak with one of our attorneys. There are too many variables that constitute drug distribution. You need to evaluate the circumstances in terms of where the Officer saw you. Did the Officer see you in your home? Did the Officer see you in your car? Were you by yourself or with someone? Were you actually selling or buying drugs from someone else when they saw you?

Other charges to consider are possession of paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Possession of paraphernalia means that you have been caught with an object associated with drugs. You do not need to have drugs on your person to be charged with this offense and it comes with similar fines and penalties as possession of marijuana. Similarly, just having drugs in your car violates both New Jersey drug laws and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Law.  People often overlook this charge because of the impending possession charge, but it could result in a loss of license.

For simple drug offenses in New Jersey, the Conditional Discharge Program is designed to give first-time offenders an opportunity to maintain a clean criminal history. You may be required to report to probation, whether telephonically or in person, and you may have to submit to random urine testing. If you successfully complete the program in which you were enrolled, you would not have a criminal record and no record of an arrest. This would enable you to maintain your livelihood, your education, your financial aid, and personal life circumstances that would be impacted by a criminal conviction.

On the other hand, for more serious drug charges, pre-trial intervention may be the only diversion program available to you. Similarly to the conditional discharge, you will be put on probation, usually for a longer period of time, and pay fines they call “assessments”. If completed successfully, you will have an arrest on record but no record of a conviction. You may have the opportunity to expunge the record of arrest.

Speak to an attorney at Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C. to examine the circumstances of your charges and negotiate a resolution that is helpful to you. Whether you have been charged with possession or distribution, our attorneys are experienced in New Jersey drug laws and have a history of mitigating drug charges and negotiating a better outcome.