Man arrested on drug charges claims remnants of earlier bust

Here in Pennsylvania, it is clearly illegal to be in the possession of a controlled substance. While some find the term “controlled substance” to be erroneous when talking about marijuana, the fact of the matter is that because our law says so, marijuana is indeed a controlled substance. Many people who are arrested for drug possession don’t actually have any drugs on them, but are carrying paraphernalia that, if tested, can prove illegal drugs were once in the possession of the suspect. That means that even if your house was searched for an entirely different reason and police found a device used to smoke marijuana, and decided to test the device, if traces of marijuana were found you could be arrested for possession.

Your word against theirs

This past July, a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to as long as two years in jail when police arrested him for possessing marijuana plant—from as long as four years earlier! An initial search of the property was completed in 2010, at which time the man was arrested and cited for marijuana. But when officers decided to raid the home again two years later, they found traces of marijuana in trash bags and some small plants growing around the premises. The man told the police that the “new” evidence was actually leftover from the last raid and that he had learned his lesson after his initial arrest, but police insisted that what they found was commensurate with recent possession of the drug. There was never any mention, however, of what the man did with the marijuana he was supposedly growing.

Free drug charges consultation

Drug charges in Pennsylvania can be serious offenses. But people who are charged with drug possession may be able to have their sentence reduced, or even completely nullified, with the help of an experienced PA drug crimes attorney like Gary Gerson. If you were arrested for possession and your narcotics were prescribed to you by a physician, or if police found drugs only after an illegal search and seizure, Mr. Gerson may be able to help you. Call 412-219-6875 for a free consultation and discuss your options.