While California certainly has progressive drug laws when compared with much of the nation, that doesn’t mean that young adults can experiment with controlled or prohibited substances without consequence.
Although many teenagers and young adults don’t recognize the risk inherent in their experimentation, their parents may worry about the eventual consequences if a child gets caught. After an arrest related to drug possession, young adults could face criminal charges that will affect future employment and education opportunities.
In some cases, a young adult could face very serious penalties if state prosecutors or law enforcement authorities claim that they possessed certain drugs with the intent to sell them to others.
Why might police suspect that your child sells drugs?
There are numerous reasons why your child may seem suspicious to law enforcement professionals. Perhaps they receive a large cash allowance and spend their money flamboyantly, drawing the attention of others. Maybe their social habits, including how frequently they visit others and the company that they keep, may lead to law enforcement suspecting them of involvement in the drug trade.
Frequent, short visits with other people and close relationships with those who have ties to the local drug community could seem particularly suspicious. Having multiple substances in their possession r a significant amount of one substance is also a concern. Even the content they post on social media and the way that they text with their friends might end up strengthening the state’s case against them.
What are the potential consequences?
What may seem like a foolish mistake to you and your family could seem like a potentially deadly form of misconduct to a judge with a zero-tolerance stance on drug crimes under current California law. Young adults accused of possessing controlled substances with the intent to sell them to others could face up to four years in state custody.
That is much more than the misdemeanor charge with a maximum one-year sentence many young adults face for simple possession. While the state has reduced the charges and penalties associated with simple possession, those accused of possession with intent can still face more serious consequences.
Understanding the serious penalties possible might help you and your teen take the drug charges against them more seriously and employ the right steps to defend against those criminal allegations.