A recent Maryland arrest leading to a variety of drug charges demonstrates why every crime is unique and requires individual attention. Police were called one afternoon to a parked car where a man was sitting inside and probably sleeping. When police approached the vehicle, they indeed did find the man sleeping and observed assorted pills spread throughout the vehicle’s interior. Police then woke the man and charged him with possession of Oxycodone and Alprazolam.
The former drug is an opiate used to treat chronic pain, and the latter is a psychoactive drug generally used in treatment of panic disorders. Probably the man arrested for possession of these two substances was not using the drugs in connection with any legitimate medical condition, but he also did not seem to be hurting anyone but himself.
Most drug charges involve relatively minor behavior, and yet the penalties for such drug crimes can often be harsh. And the stigma of a drug conviction can follow an individual around for a number of years. This is in part why representation from a good attorney experienced in defending individuals charged of drug offenses can be so important. Such attorneys can help courts see that specific convictions may have involved no one else other than the individual arrested.
Many individuals arrested for drugs have no prior arrest records. A large percentage of such arrests involve juveniles. Often such individuals are experiencing personal trauma and need advice rather than incarceration. Others have substance abuse problems that require therapy.
The man arrested in the above incident was 27-years old. Many people will only remember him by the mug shot that was published in the local paper and that he was arrested while sleeping in the car.
Source: Southern Maryland Online, “Police Reports for Calvert County,” Feb. 6, 2012