A marijuana charge in New Jersey can be a big problem if it is not handled properly. New Jersey has strict pot laws and penalties for possession and distribution. Although medical marijuana is allowed and may be used by certain individuals, the pot laws still are in full effect for the bulk of people in New Jersey. If you were arrested for marijuana possession, your Bradley Beach, New Jersey lawyer can assist you through the legal steps.
Marijuana is a Controlled Dangerous Substance according to New Jersey, which means that the penalties are often severe. If you have control of over 50 grams of marijuana on your person when you are arrested, it will justify felony charges.
If you are arrested in possession of marijuana (this can be fewer than 50 grams), charges will frequently go beyond further than simple possession. The state will occasionally pursue charges for the intent to distribute, which is treated the same as being arrested in the process of actually distributing pot. Distribution and the intent to distribute create much harsher consequences than possession. You need to build a solid defense with an experienced Bradley Beach, NJ marijuana law firm to defend your case.
With experience disputing drug charges as a criminal defense attorney and defending drug charges as a former prosecutor, Carmine Villani, Esq. can help you with your marijuana possession or distribution offenses. The law firm of Villani & DeLuca began in 1996 to help people charged with crimes like pot possession.
{The severity of the charges that can be brought against you in New Jersey vary depending on the circumstances of your individual case, including the amount of marijuana found on your person, the location of your arrest and the intentions perceived by police and the state.|Marijuana charges can be serious or relatively insignificant depending on the geography of your arrest, the weight of marijuana and if the officer who arrested you and the prosecutor perceives your intent was (distribution or personal use).
Possession of 50 grams or fewer of marijuana can give you a prison sentence of up to six months and a $1,000 fine. In NJ, possession of 50+ grams of marijuana will terminate in an 18-month prison sentence and a maximum fine of $25,000.
Penalties for distribution charges are typically more extensive than penalties for simple possession would be in NJ. Distribution of less than an ounce of pot is a crime in the fourth degree and can lead to penalties of a mac sentence of a year and a half in jail and fines up to $10,000. A decision that results in your conviction for distribution in the first degree, you might end up in prison for as much as twenty years with a max fine of $300,000.
An arrest in a protected zone converts a smaller penalty into an increasingly severe one. Protected zones are in or near schools and public parks. A school zone legally extends 1,000 feet from labeled buildings operated by the school district. Increased charges will still occur even if it is not during the school year and no students are in the vicinity. If you are taken into custody in a school zone and charged with distribution or the intent to distribute, a prison sentence of at least three years without parole may apply. But, you could still be able to dispute your charges, with the advice of a criminal defense attorney.
A small number of people are allowed to use medical marijuana in New Jersey. But, if you are from another state, do not assume that your medical marijuana exemption is valid in NJ. To be approved for use of medical marijuana in NJ, you must obtain a doctor’s recommendation for a serious illness such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease or a terminal illness if the physician has determined a prognosis of less than one year of life.
Get in touch with Villani & DeLuca right now if you are facing drug charges in Bradley Beach, New Jersey. You may also talk to a criminal defense attorney for a free consultation with a phone call to (732) 965-3350.
