Drug possession arrests and convictions can impose serious penalties on the lives of Ohio residents. Whether their arrests are for allegedly possessing marijuana or narcotics, drug possession charges can be costly and can leave individuals with marks on their criminal records. However, there is a drug charge that may affect an individual that does not even involve the presence of drugs on a person. That charge is possession of drug paraphernalia and this post will briefly discuss what that may mean.
Drug paraphernalia is the collection of items that a person may have that they need to use drugs. For example, rolling papers for marijuana may be considered drug paraphernalia, as may pipes, scales for weighing drugs and others. The presence of drug paraphernalia on a person may suggest to law enforcement officials that a person is engaged in the act of possessing or selling drugs and therefore breaking the law.
It is important to note, though, that many items that may constitute drug paraphernalia may also have legal and legitimate uses. It is often the context in which alleged drug paraphernalia is found or the manner in which it has been used that may lead law enforcement officials to lodge charges based on the discovery of potentially illegal items.
Drug paraphernalia and drug possession charges can go hand in hand in Ohio. Alone each is a serious offense but together they can impose significant penalties on individuals. As with all drug charges, it is important that individuals who are facing these legal challenges hire attorneys who are prepared to defend them. Legal professionals can provide their clients with strong defenses to the drug charges that they must overcome.
