Types of Drug Possession Defenses

If an individual is charged with drug possession, either for personal use or with aim to sell, a criminal defense lawyer can determine the specific defenses that may apply to the case. Some defenses challenge the stated facts, testimony or evidence in the case; others target practical errors, etc.

The following are types of drug possession defenses:

Crime Lab Examination:

The prosecution must demonstrate that a seized substance is indeed the illegal drug it claims it is by sending the proof to a crime lab for examination. The crime lab analyst at that point must bear witness at trial in order for the prosecution to put forth its case.

Unlawful Search and Seizure: 

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures the privilege to fair treatment of law, including legal search and seizure methods before an arrest. Search and seizure issues are a regular territory for drug possession defenses.

Illegal medications found on display might be seized and utilized as proof. Be that as it may, drugs found in a hidden place can’t be entered into evidence. In the event that the defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated, at that point the drugs can’t be utilized at trial and the charges normally are dropped.

Medical Marijuana Exception:

States where medical marijuana has been legalized typically require a doctor’s signed recommendation. But some of those states also accommodate an affirmative defense by individuals arrested on marijuana possession charges who can show clear and credible evidence of medical necessity.

Missing Drugs:

Here, prosecutors who lose or otherwise lack the actual drugs risk having their case dismissed. Seized drugs usually get transferred numerous times before being left in the evidence locker, so it should never be assumed that the proof still exists during trial.

Entrapment:

While law enforcement officials are allowed to set up smart operations, entrapment occurs when police officers or sources initiate a suspect to commit a crime he or she otherwise may not have committed. If a source pressures a suspect into passing drugs to a third party, for instance, then this may be viewed as entrapment. Entrapment takes place where the state provides the drugs being referred to.

Drugs Belong to Someone Else:

This is when you claim the drugs do not belong to you. A defense lawyer will pressure prosecutors to prove that the illegal substance found in the car belonged to someone else.