Newport News Prescription Drug Lawyer
Prescription drug offenses in Virginia are very serious offenses and are a very high priority for law enforcement officials in Newport News. Prescription drugs have an extremely high rate of abuse and they can lead to pretty sad consequences such as drug overdoses or additional charges of driving under the influence.
In Newport News, of particular priority is around the Christopher Newport University area because there’s a lot of younger people who tend to be the primary people who have used prescription drugs. As a result of this focus it is imperative that if you are charged you consult with a Newport News prescription drug lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your case and begin building a defense.
A Newport News drug lawyer can look at the facts surrounding your case and help you determine the strongest course of action for minimizing the harm of your charges. Call today to schedule a consultation.
Importance of a Prescription Drug Lawyer in Newport News
It’s crucial to have an attorney by your side in these cases because the penalties are very serious. Long-term jail sentences are highly possible in these types of situations. A prescription drug attorney in Newport News can help challenge the case on the usual grounds that come up in all drug cases such as the constitutional issues regarding how and where the drugs were found and seen.
Also, it’s important to have an attorney because there are alternative options which can be available in prescription drug cases in particular. Your attorney can help you qualify and also help you to begin some options even before your court hearing. It’s really important to do everything possible to ensure positive results and this often involves a lot of work outside of the courtroom before your hearing comes up.
Being Charged For a Legal Prescription
In general you can be charged for having a prescription that was prescribed if there’s no label, this tends to be the way that prescription drugs charges most commonly come about. With that said, in court later during your trial you can show that the drug actually was prescribed to you at the time of the incident then usually the charges will be dismissed once you show that. If you can show during the incident that the drug was prescribed to you then there’s not really any reason you would be charged in the first place.
There are situations where a prescription will not be enough. For example, you could be charged if the drugs you’re prescribed are not the actual drugs that are found in the prescription bottle or if the prescription is outdated or if the amount in the bottle is different than what it’s supposed to be.
Severity of These Cases
Courts treat prescription drug cases very seriously because prescription drugs tend to be a huge issue that can potentially lead to very detrimental consequences. Like other drug charges, a large amount will be taken more seriously.
Evidence Used in Prescription Drug Cases
The type of evidence that comes into play is how the drug was possessed, whether it was in a vehicle or it was found on the defendant, or how it came to be searched and seized. Basically the fourth amendment types of issues will be questioned.
Other evidence will be whether there was a valid prescription or not, if there’s any proof that the defendant was using the drug in a manner it wasn’t intended, such as cutting it up into smaller pieces or powder so that they could snort it. This is different because in prescription drug cases, the drug in question oftentimes is being used by a defendant legally at first, but then it results in an addition or a situation where the defendant starts selling his legally obtained prescription drug thereby making it an illegal situation.
Building a Defense
People should know how serious the consequences can be. These types of cases can result in long-term prison time from a year to ten years depending on the amount in question. The level of the charge can vary depending also on the specific facts of the case. In addition, prescription drugs, painkillers in particular, are one of the most commonly abused drugs after tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. The prevalence of prescription drugs is much higher than any other type of drugs.
Because of the rate of abuse, particularly among younger people, law enforcement officers take even the most minor prescription drugs, drug discrepancy very seriously.
