Drug laws and penalties can be very tough on offenders, especially for those living in Oklahoma City. Even those who possess them for personal use can face some of the harshest penalties. In this city, when one is arrested and charged with possessing drugs, that particular individual is required to appear before the courts to make his or her plea. Drug possession may be with the intent to resell or distribute, which is a much more serious offense than possessing for personal use.
In an effort to take a firm stand against the use of illegal drugs, Oklahoma’s legislators have been forced to enact some of nation’s toughest drug laws that may include lengthy prison terms if you do not get a reliable and effective Oklahoma City drug attorney. Even minor offenders of today are not spared; they are forced to spend the remaining part of their youth in prison for illegal drug possession, and this often results in prison overcrowding. The city’s incarceration rates are known to be one of the highest in the country.
However, Oklahoma’s firm stand against drug possession is not just limited to legislators, even prosecutors and judges are not lenient on those found with illegal, controlled substances. Minor offenses like simple marijuana possession attract harsh sentencing. Even first-time offenders are not spared. There is no denying that Oklahoma has some of the nation’s toughest drug laws.
Statistics
Possession of marijuana or a range of other controlled dangerous substances subjects thousands of Oklahoma residents to long prison terms annually. The Sentencing Project approximated that 66 per 100,000 individuals living in Oklahoma get incarcerated, making Oklahoma the third highest in the nation in terms of incarceration rates. Similarly, Oklahoma’s drug offenders’ incarceration rate remains significantly higher, at least when compared with the national average. Twenty-seven percent of all prisoners in Oklahoma have a drug crime as the basic offense, which is a significantly higher figure than the national average at 20 percent.
Action to Take When Facing Charges
If you find yourself in trouble with the authorities over illegal drug possession, your best bet is to get yourself a competent Oklahoma City drug attorney to help you with your criminal conviction. Undoubtedly, incarceration can lead to serious loss of income, freedom, and certain basic human rights and crucial privileges. This means that immediately following your arrest you have to answer to charges pertaining to drug possession you need to get on the phone and get yourself a drug lawyer you can trust. Cases involving drug possession are often tough and require skilled legal representation to handle them. An experienced drug lawyer has handled virtually all types of cases concerning drugs, including possession, trafficking, distribution, and use.
The major advantage of finding experienced legal representation is that such an attorney has successfully represented various clients charged with similar crimes. In fact, these attorneys can help facilitate the dismissal of some or all of the charges you are facing even before the case proceeds to trial. In fact, the best drug attorney to help with your case is one with a record of successful cases of that nature.
Being arrested for drug possession instantly means that a lot is at stake. From losing your job to tarnishing your reputation and missing out on big deals and contracts, there is no limit to what drug crime could do to ruin your life, not to mention rob you of your freedom and rights or privileges once you get locked up.
Therefore, acting promptly by finding a drug lawyer with the right qualifications and experience could help secure your freedom or reduce the charges and penalties. Always assume that prosecutors will be very harsh because they never take such cases lightly. In fact, being that you are living in Oklahoma should tell you that your case could attract the harshest sentencing, as the prosecution is very aggressive even toward minor drug crimes. Some people make the mistake of assuming that drug possession is a harmless and minor crime. Do not make that mistake, especially if you are living in Oklahoma. Depending on the type of facts available, possession of drugs could fall under misdemeanor or felony, but don’t wait to find out. Just contact your most reliable and trusted drug attorney to handle it Prison sentence could waste a significant part of your life and money.