How Drug Charges Can Impact Your Life and Career in Long Island

How Drug Charges Can Seriously Mess Up Your Life and Career in Long Island

Getting busted for drugs is no joke, especially in strict states like New York. Even a minor drug charge can completely railroad your life if you’re not careful. Let’s break down exactly how drug charges can impact everything from your reputation to job prospects in Long Island.

I’ll be real with ya here – any kind of drug charge is gonna be rough. New York don’t play when it comes to narcotics. But smaller drug crimes like 7th degree possession (less than 8 ounces of pot or half an ounce of cocaine) usually go easier than big trafficking felonies.

7th Degree Possession – A Misdemeanor Menace

So you got caught with a little weed or blow at a party. Not the end of the world, but still – 7th degree possession is no fun. It’s a class A misdemeanor, meaning up to a year in jail and $1000 in fines as punishment. Yikes! Having a record definitely won’t look good to employers or on grad school apps.

And if you’re an immigrant, any drug conviction can get you deported. Even if you avoid jail time, a pot possession charge might mean bye-bye U.S. of A. Harsh but true.

The good news is there’s ways to defend against 7th degree possession. Challenging an illegal search or faulty field test kit can get the charges tossed. And New York has drug diversion programs that substitute rehab for jail time. So don’t panic, but do lawyer up. An experienced attorney can often mitigate the damage.

Felony Drug Distribution – Your Life Implodes

Okay, so maybe you got greedy selling molly to freshman. Or you needed cash and mailed a pound of weed back home. Either way, you’re looking at felony distribution charges if caught moving serious weight. We’re talking years of prison and 5 figure fines here.

Unlike minor possession, drug dealing felonies can straight up ruin your future. Want to be a doctor, lawyer, or pro athlete? Ha, good luck getting licensed after a drug conviction. Most careers requiring professional credentials are off limits.

What about regular jobs? Don’t expect to get calls back from Fortune 500 companies. Big corporations almost universally background check and exclude felons. Mom and pop shops can legally refuse you too.

Unemployment and poverty go hand in hand with serious drug records. It’s often impossible to get an apartment too, forcing many into homelessness. And say bye to college financial aid with a conviction.

So I ain’t gonna lie – slinging dope is tempting but not worth throwing your life away over. Getting caught will slam every door shut for decades. There’s always better options than drug dealing.

Defending Yourself From Drug Charges

Alright, lecture over. Let’s discuss legal defenses to drug crimes big and small. First step is getting an experienced Long Island drug crimes lawyer on your side immediately. The right attorney can work magic making charges disappear or penalties less severe.

Many drug cases boil down to Fourth Amendment issues. If the cops didn’t have probable cause or a warrant to search your home, car, backpack, etc. then all evidence gets suppressed. A good lawyer will file suppression motions to protect your rights.

Beyond unconstitutional searches, faulty narcotics field tests present another opening to beat charges. They’re inaccurate nearly 50% of the time yet cops rely on them anyway. A false positive test alone shouldn’t sustain a conviction.

There’s also room to challenge the chain of custody around seized drugs and sloppy police reports. Making the prosecution prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt ain’t easy.

For defendants under 21, New York’s youthful offender laws seal drug convictions from public record. And anyone can request one of New York’s many diversion programs, swapping jail for rehab, community service, or probation.

So don’t panic over drug charges in Long Island. Call a knowledgeable lawyer instead who can help mitigate or dismiss the case. Your life doesn’t have to end – fight back! And going forward, stay away from dope to avoid wrecking your bright future. It ain’t worth it, trust me.