In Wisconsin, you must begin fighting drug charges immediately

 Posted on May 19, 2017 in Drug Charges

In Wisconsin, drug charges are a very serious matter. Even as lawmakers are slowly introducing medical marijuana legislation that aims to loosen the restrictions against the drug, the penalties for possessing or dealing drugs or drug paraphernalia are still quite stiff.

If you received drug charges of any kind recently, you must begin building a strong, aggressive defense as soon as possible. The longer than you wait to build a defense and take action for your future, the longer that the state has to build its case against you.

Penalties for drug charges can completely derail your entire life, even if you avoid jail time. Depending on the severity of the charges, you may face thousands of dollars in fines, suspension of your license, increases in insurance premiums, and difficulty finding work or housing.

Many employers do not hire applicants with drug convictions on their record, even if the rest of the resume is impressive. Likewise, many property rental companies have policies against leasing to individuals with drug convictions.

The practical effects of these penalties can mean that you have few options for work, and few places to live, while facing great difficulty getting from place to place.

This doesn't even account for any jail time you may serve as a part of the sentence.

The truth is, even if your arrest was partially justified by a foolish mistake on your part, the punishment for this mistake is almost certainly unfair and too long-lasting. We all make mistakes, but few of us must pay for them in a hundred big and little ways for years on end.

So, what can you do about the charges? This depends on the specifics of your arrest, but all of the best options start the same way — get strong legal representation as soon as you can.

Drug charges have many defenses

A skilled attorney, preferably one who has experience in prosecuting as well as defending drug charges, can help you examine the details of your arrest and the evidence against you.

Although Wisconsin maintains fairly strict laws surrounding drug possession and dealing, individuals still have constitutional rights. Your attorney may find that the officer or officers did not follow proper procedures at the time of the arrest, which may grant you leverage.

Similarly, it is possible that you have drug charges stemming from a legitimate misunderstanding or relatively flimsy circumstantial evidence. This may mean that the evidence against you is not as airtight as it seems, which can also grant you some leverage.

Even if the arrest was by-the-book, the prosecution has the responsibility to prove your guilt with the available evidence. Many attorneys insist on testing the evidence in a laboratory. This creates a number of opportunities. If the arresting officers made a clerical error and cannot find the evidence, a conviction is difficult to obtain. Similarly, if the laboratory results do not match the charges, the prosecution loses leverage for a conviction.

Don't wait to fight for your future

Few things can completely derail your life like drug charges, and no one deserves to lose one's whole life to a foolish, non-violent choice.

Do not hesitate to reach out to an experienced defense attorney. With proper guidance from an attorney with experience prosecuting and defending drug charges, you can rest assured your rights are secure while you fight for your future.

Source: Nov. 30, -0001