A stop by the police might end in you facing criminal drug charges, the severity and degree of which depends on various factors.
Possession charges in North Carolina rely on the type of drug, the quantity of it and the way police believe you intend to use it. Take a closer look at the elements that go into drug possession charges.
Possession
When the police find a drug either on your body or within close proximity to you, they can charge you with possession. Anything found in your vehicle, once they establish that it is yours and is always under your control, may fall to you as well unless someone else is in the car with you.
Drug type
The chemicals in drugs and their common uses delineate where on the severity scale they rank. The DEA classifies controlled substances or drugs by categories or schedules and ranks them from those with no medicinal value but a high rate of abuse, such as LSD, to those that have a low abuse rate. If the drug in your possession falls into a low schedule category, meaning the likelihood of abuse is high, then the charges may fall into the high misdemeanor or felony category.
Quantity
The amount of the drug in your possession goes a long way toward the type of charge you face. The police decide how you intend to use the drug based in part on how much of it they find. If you have a large quantity, the police may suspect that you intend to deal and distribute it to others for money. Drug trafficking is a felony offense that may lead to your incarceration for a significant time period.
You do not have to face any drug charges by yourself. Reach out to our firm for guidance.
