Times When Colorado Residents Need Criminal Defense for Drug Crimes

If you live in Colorado, you might enjoy it very much. The state offers a lot, including beautiful nature you can experience and vibrant cities where you can live. You might check out Denver, for instance, and think you’ve found an idyllic paradise.

If the Colorado police arrest you, you won’t like that so much. Maybe they suspect you committed a drug-related crime. Drug crimes dropped 23% in Colorado since 2010, but that doesn’t mean the police won’t pick you up if they suspect you sold illegal drugs, bought them, or used them.

Let’s discuss situations where Colorado residents face drug-related charges and need criminal defense.

The Police Think You’re Someone Else

Maybe the police get a tip that someone in a neighborhood sold drugs, and they’re wearing a green sweater. They show up at that street corner, and they see you there with a green sweater on. They might arrest you, thinking they have the right person.

That might sound farfetched, but wrongful drug arrests happen sometimes, and these scenarios can land you in some legal trouble. Maybe you’re in the wrong place at precisely the wrong moment.

You can call that bad luck or karma, but the reason why it happened doesn’t matter very much. You need a good criminal defense in these mistaken identity cases, so you must find a lawyer to get you off.

You Have Something You Thought Was Legal

Colorado has some fairly liberal drug laws, at least if you look at them versus other states. For instance, you can legally buy and use recreational marijuana there. Maybe that means you have some drug paraphernalia or substances you thought you could legally possess, but it turns out you’re wrong about that.

If you break a Colorado drug law without realizing it, the police can arrest you. In that situation, you’ll need a good lawyer as well. 

They can argue on your behalf. If they can convince the judge that you didn’t know or misinterpreted the law, you might not get off entirely, but perhaps you can take a plea deal and either pay a fine or serve minimal jail time.

You Used Drugs in a Public Place

Maybe you used marijuana or alcohol recreationally, and you did it in a place where that’s illegal. You can legally drink alcohol anywhere in America if you’re over age 21, but you can’t do it out in public in most states.  

You can also legally smoke marijuana recreationally in Colorado, but you can’t necessarily pull out a joint and start puffing in certain locations. The police feel you should use drugs responsibly, and that means you can’t just do it out in public.

Maybe you didn’t know that, or perhaps you knew it, but you didn’t care. Whatever the reason, though, if the police arrest you because you drank alcohol in public or smoked marijuana, you need a great criminal defense lawyer who can argue on your behalf.

Your lawyer might tell the judge that you made a mistake because you had a bad day or something upsetting happened in your life that temporarily impacted your judgment. They may claim these extenuating circumstances caused your actions.

The judge might buy it, or they may not, but your lawyer can at least try to frame what happened in the best possible light. They might get you off with just a fine or community service.

If you act contrite during your courtroom appearance, that can sometimes help as well. If you apologize and say you’ll never do it again, the judge might take that under advisement.

You’ve Got Too Much of a Drug on You

You can also legally possess marijuana in Colorado, but only up to a certain amount. You can legally possess as much as an ounce for personal use.

If the police pull over your car and find that you have six pounds of marijuana in the trunk, they can arrest you. They can claim you’re selling it, particularly if they find bags, a scale, or other items they feel constitute drug paraphernalia.

That’s absolutely a situation where you need a skilled criminal defense lawyer who can aid you. They might suggest you take a plea deal, or maybe they have some other ideas.

You should trust your lawyer if you face drug charges in Colorado, though. Whether you actually committed these crimes or not, your attorney can help you strategize and determine your best move.