Building a Defense for Drug Charges

When speaking with an attorney, a person should be fully cooperative and truthful. A lawyer’s job is not to judge a client, but to be an advocate. Building the trust relationship where a client can be completely honest with an attorney about what they know is important in building a defense against Alabama drug charges.

Being able to have a working relationship with a prosecutor and judge is an important aspect of building a defense for Alabama drug charges. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of drug cases in Alabama in the past few years. As such, sometimes prosecutors and judges do not always look at the individual, but just the big stack of files every day that they have to manage to deal with. Having an Alabama drug attorney that knows that prosecutor and the judge, and can get them to focus on the client as a person, not just another case, is very important. Having the experience of dealing with people in the system and knowing the kinds of things that make a difference can often make an impact on the outcome.

There are several things that a person can do in order to potentially reduce the penalties they are facing. Most importantly a person should have some recognition of the reality of their situation and be dealing with it head-on by hiring an attorney. The defense attorney can help them understand what the penalties are.

As far as lessening the potential impact of the penalties for a conviction, there are drug treatment programs that a person may be eligible for. We try to discuss those options with our clients so they understand that it is a commitment.

A person should not consider a drug court diversion program unless they are fully committed to the process of following all the rules. But that is something that can have a huge difference in the outcome of the case, oftentimes resulting even in a dismissal.

Penalties are harsh against drug crimes and cross a broad spectrum depending on what type of drug crime is involved. Penalties can range from a misdemeanor in municipal or district court all the way up to minimum mandatory prison sentences or up to life in prison for certain types of trafficking offenses.

In Alabama, there are several types of diversionary programs or alternative sentencing options called drug court programs for first-time drug offenders.

In Alabama, for most possession of controlled substance felonies, possession of prescription medication without a prescription, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, drug court is an option. These types of programs do have limitations concerning the types of prior offenses a person has, where the person was arrested, and what the nature of arrest was. So, it is very important to contact a skilled and experienced drug defense lawyer to evaluate their options from their defense.

The nature and extent of any type of drug addiction problem that the defendant has is really important for the defense lawyer to know. This can help the attorney build a defense or make a presentation to a judge or a prosecutor about how the addiction may have negatively impacted the individual and that penalties are not required but rehabilitation instead, and that is certainly important.

An experienced attorney who has experience handling drug charges can look for possible defenses. Oftentimes drug charges are brought as a result of a search warrant. Submitting search warrants is a highly technical legal undertaking, and oftentimes there are mistakes made during that process. A person can look for those types of problems. That is certainly one benefit, there are a lot of little things that make a difference in the outcome of a case. Having someone that is experienced to look for those types of mistakes that oftentimes are made can lead to a favorable outcome, also sometimes there are drug court programs that are available. An experienced attorney can help someone understand how those work and that is something that might be in their best interest to consider.

Having someone that is experienced to look for those types of mistakes that oftentimes are made can lead to a favorable outcome, also sometimes there are drug court programs that are available. An experienced attorney can help someone understand how those work and that is something that might be in their best interest to consider.