At Lawyer Legion we created an online directory of criminal defense attorneys focused on drug crimes in state and federal court. You can use our attorney directory to find drug crimes attorneys by state, city, or zip code. The profiles have information on the attorney's membership and leadership in legal organizations related to criminal justice, speaking engagements at quality CLE seminars, and participation in specialty certification programs.
Criminal defense attorneys represent clients charged with a variety of drug offenses. The most commonly charged drug violation is for the possession of marijuana. Other types of drug crimes involve cocaine, heroin, morphine and amphetamines. The abuse of prescription medication has become an increasingly common offense.
For first offenses, many jurisdictions utilize special drug courts that attempt to "rehabilitate" the person charged with possession of a controlled substance. Drug courts are typically focused on random urine tests and providing addiction counseling through rehabilitation centers.
Attorneys that focus on criminal defense in drug cases often belong to legal organizations such as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) or the affiliate organizations at the state level. Each year the NACDL puts on the Annual Drug Defenses Conference entitled "Defending the Modern Drug Case." The NACDL's 6th Annual at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, November 21-22, 2013.
Other important seminars for criminal defense attorney fighting drug crime cases including the 2013 International Drug Policy Reform Conference. This biennial event that brings together over 1,000 attendees representing 30 different countries who believe that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good.
Drug crimes often involve possession, possession with the intent to sell or distribute, cultivation or manufacture, sell or distribution, or the trafficking of certain controlled substance. Drug crimes often come with minimum mandatory penalties in addition to statutory maximum provisions.
The state and federal government regulate the possession and distribution of controlled substances. Unless the controlled substance is properly prescribed, the possession of certain controlled substances is prohibited by state and federal laws. The laws in most states are modeled after the federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. §801 et. seq.
Criminal defense attorneys that fight drug crimes often represent clients at every stage of the case. Stages of a drug case can include pre-arrest and pre-filing, first appearance, emergency bond hearings, the arraignment,pre-trial status hearings, pre-trial motion hearings, jury trials and sentencing hearings.
The federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. §801 et. seq., was originally passed in 1970. The Controlled Substance Act classifies controlled substances into five different schedules which are numbered Schedule I through Schedule V.
The classification of controlled substances is often controversial. The decision to classify different controlled substances are made on criteria including the potential for abuse, even though that term is undefined. Classification decisions are also made based on the currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and certain international treaties.
Schedule I
The controlled substances listed in Schedule I are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
The classification of various controlled substances has caused much controversy, especially for marijuana or cannabis which has been classified as a Schedule I drug, even though it has been legalized for recreational use in two states, and for medical purposes in several other states. Other Schedule I drugs include DMT, GHB, heroin, morphine, LSD, MDMA (Ecstasy), DMT, mescaline.
Schedule II
The controlled substances listed in Schedule II are classified as having a high potential for abuse, although a currently accepted medical use is recognized. Schedule II drugs are classified with a severe risk of dependence if abused. All schedule II drugs require a prescription which is limited to a 30 day supply. Schedule II drugs include cocaine, morphine, methamphetamine, PCP and amphetamines.
Schedule III
Controlled substances that are classified as Schedule III drugs are have a lower potential for abuse. For Schedule III drugs, a currently accepted medical use is recognized although the drugs have a high risk of psychological dependence or moderate physical dependence if abused. Schedule III drugs include anabolic steroids, ketamine, hydrocodone and codeine when compounded with NSAID or acetaminophen, marinol, paregoric, and ergine.
Schedule IV
The controlled substances listed in Schedule IV have a low potential for abuse, a currently accepted medical use in treatment, and limited physical or psychological dependence when abused. Drugs included in Schedule IV include benzodiazepines, long-acting barbiturates, and carisoprodol.
Schedule V
The controlled substances listed in Schedule V have a low potential for abuse, are currently accepted for medical use, and a limited physical or psychological dependence when abused. Schedule V drugs include cough medication that contains small amounts of codeine.
At Lawyer Legion we created our directory of criminal defense lawyers to help the public find a qualified attorney in a variety of practice areas such as drug or narcotic crimes. We organize attorneys according to the focus of their legal practice, their membership and leadership in organizations related to criminal defense, and other objective criteria.
Article last updated on Friday, June 12, 2015.
