Blog

12Feb
2014

What You Need to Know About Driving and Drug Offenses

Have you been charged with a drug offense in South Florida? If so, then you should know that any offense where a plea of guilty is entered will result in the suspension of your driver’s license for two years.  

If you are driving with prescribed medication and have the medication with you in the car, be sure to keep the medication in its original bottle with the current prescription.  If you are stopped by a police officer for any reason and are carrying medication that is classified as a controlled substance without a prescription, you can be charged with possession – a felony charge. This is true even if your medication(s) is/are organized in a daily medication container; you could still be charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance if you do not have a prescription readily available for the officer to inspect.  Do not rely upon the good will of an officer to believe you have a prescription.

If indeed you are charged with a Drug Possession offense, there are many alternatives to jail.  There are several options whereby you may even be able to have the charges dropped.  An experienced attorney will be able to assist you with this.  (For more information on drug offenses, read my recent blog post.)

In addition, your attorney should always look at the basis of the stop.  If the stop was questionable, it is possible for your attorney to file a motion to suppress the evidence obtained from the stop as the search and seizure was unreasonable.  Again, an experienced criminal defense attorney will be able to properly advise you — and it is in your best interest to consult with one before talking with law enforcement officers!