Los Angeles Drug Possession Attorney

Of all drug crimes, the most commonly charged and most commonly prosecuted is that of drug possession. This crime is exactly what it sounds like - the possession of any illegal or controlled substance. In the state of California, the law outlines a very detailed and comprehensive list of what falls under the category of a controlled substance.

Controlled Substances - What are they?

Under the 2010 California Health and Safety Code, sections 11053-11058, controlled substances are listed, separated and categorized; these drugs include opiates and opium derivatives (such as codeine), hallucinogenic, depressants, stimulants, narcotics and cocaine-based drugs. These are all separated into even smaller branches known as 'schedules' and will either be considered as Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV or Schedule V drug depending on several different factors, especially dependant on what is known as the drug's "potential for abuse."

A drug that falls under Schedule I, for instance, is considered to have an extremely high potential for abuse, does not currently have any use as a medical treatment and has a completely lack of safety when there is no medical supervision upon the taking of the drug. An example of a Schedule I drug is heroin. These drugs are never given prescriptions for. In contrast, a Schedule V drug is considered to have a low potential for abuse, is generally accepted for medical treatment and is generally accepted to lead to only limited physical dependency. A cough suppressant could be considered a Schedule V drug.

Penalties for Drug Possession in Los Angeles

The penalties associated with drug possession will vary depending on several different aspects of the charge and arrest. For example, the type of drug found in your possession, the amount found and the location in which you were found to possess the drug will all have a bearing on the penalties.

For example, under the 2010 California Code, section 11350, a person who is found to have possession of a Schedule I depressant will be facing a one year imprisonment in a county jail or state prison. On the other hand, someone who has been found to possess a narcotic drug in Schedule II, IV or V will be facing incarceration for two, three of four years in the state prison. Other penalties will be imposed on criminals depending on the extenuating circumstances of their exact arrest. These can include monetary fines and community service.

Tenacious Drug Possession Defense Lawyer

At Takakjian & Sitkoff, we have seen how quickly these cases can grow to be out of hand. For this reason, we strongly believe that the best thing that can be done is to move quickly as soon as we are contacted. For this reason, as soon as you secure the legal representation of a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer from our legal team, you can breathe easier knowing that we will immediately launch into action, utilizing our every resource to ensure that we are minimizing the damage and working towards an optimal result.

At our firm, we have seen all too often the efforts of overzealous police can result in an unlawful search and seizure. If you have suffered from something of this nature, we will do everything we can to get this evidence thrown out. We strongly believe that everyone should be held under the law - even police. We therefore will defend you against any unlawful actions on their part in every way possible. You can trust that we will do everything that we can to help you.

To schedule your case evaluation, contact a Los Angeles drug possession attorney from our firm today by calling toll-free at 888-390-8526.