Violating marijuana laws in New Jersey may justify substantial consequences depending on the scale of the crime. Possession and distribution consequences differ in harshness, but both kinds of marijuana charges necessitate the help of an attorney. If you have been charged with distribution or any other marijuana-related charges in the state of New Jersey, you should prepare your case with the assistance of a qualified law firm serving Stafford. NJ marijuana lawyers will work to protect your freedoms and fight marijuana-related charges.
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 pot on you when you are taken into custody, it will result in felony charges.
If you are arrested in owning marijuana (this can be a smaller amount than 50 grams), charges often go beyond further than simple possession. Even if you weren’t taken into custody after distributing marijuana, you can be charged with the intention of selling marijuana, which is just as forbidding. Typically, the intent to distribute is a more serious charge than possession. A Stafford criminal defense attorney may fight to have your distribution allegations lessened to possession.
The attorneys of Villani & DeLuca have been arguing marijuana-related crime accusations in NJ since opening its doors in 1996. Carmine Villani, Esq. is a criminal defense attorney with a history in defending clients facing drug charges. He has also worked as as municipal prosecutor and public defender in NJ, giving him a unique advantage when fighting criminal allegations.
{Your marijuana charges hinge on how much marijuana you were in possession of, where your arrest happened and what law enforcement believes you were trying to do with the illegal drugs in your possession.|Marijuana charges can be serious or relatively minimal depending on where the arrest occurred, the weight of marijuana and what the arresting officer and the prosecutor perceives your intent was (distribution or personal use).
Possession of 50 grams or lower of marijuana can present you with a prison sentence of up to six months and a $1,000 fine. If your marijuana possession tops 50 grams, you can receive a verdict with a prison sentence that is up to 18 months along with a much larger fine of $25,000.
Penalties for the intent to sell are usually more wide-ranging than consequences for basic possession is in New Jersey. Distribution of just one ounce of marijuana or less may earn a prison time of up to 18 months and a fine that reaches $10,000 for a guilty plea. A verdict that results in your conviction for distribution in the first degree, you face incarceration for as much as twenty years with a maximum fine of $300,000.
All marijuana-related allegations will be enhanced if the crime occurs in a location labeled by NJ laws as a protected zone. Protected zones are in or near schools as well as public parks. A school zone legally extends 1,000 feet from designated buildings operated by the school district. It can be the middle of summer for an arrest in a school zone to affect your charges. Selling drugs in or near a school is especially serious. But, you may still be able to fight your charges, with the advice of a criminal defense attorney.
If you were allowed by the state of NJ to participate in medical marijuana, you may be exempt from certain possession charges. However, New Jersey doesn’t recognize patients who have been approved to use medical marijuana by other state governments. To be approved for use of medical marijuana in New Jersey, you need to obtain a doctor’s validation of a serious condition 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.
Contact Villani & DeLuca right now if you are fighting drug charges in Stafford, NJ. You can also reach a Villani & DeLuca defense attorney at (732) 965-3350 for a free legal consultation. Our New Jersey marijuana defense lawyers are here 24 hours a day, each day of the year.
