Top North Chelmsford, MA Drug Possession Lawyers Near You
1234 Hyde Park Avenue, Suite 102, Hyde Park, MA 02136
PO Box 441253, Somerville, MA 02144
630 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01821
450 Lexington Street, Suite 101, Auburndale, MA 02466
44 School St, Suite 1000C, Boston, MA 02108
600 Atlantic Avenue, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02210
27 School St, suite 301, Boston, MA 02108
20 Park Plaza, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02116
28 State St, Suite 802, Boston, MA 02109-4075
PO Box 549, Belmont, MA 02478
North Chelmsford Drug Possession Information
Lead Counsel Verified Attorneys in North Chelmsford
Lead Counsel independently verifies Drug Possession attorneys in North Chelmsford and checks their standing with Massachusetts bar associations.
Our Verification Process and Criteria
Ample Experience
Attorneys must meet stringent qualifications and prove they practice in the area of law they’re verified in.
Good Standing
Be in good standing with their bar associations and maintain a clean disciplinary record.
Annual Review
Submit to an annual review to retain their Lead Counsel Verified status.
Client Commitment
Pledge to follow the highest quality client service and ethical standards.
Drug Possession
Drug possession is the illegal possession of a controlled substance. Essentially, to be convicted of a drug possession charge, you knowingly must have a controlled substance in your possession or within your proximity, like storing it in your vehicle. Drug possession can also include having a device used for the consumption of a controlled substance. This is a criminal offense under both Massachusetts state law as well as federal law.
Types of Drug Possession Charges
Sometimes drug possession is referred to as actual possession or “constructive” possession, meaning that an individual knowingly has access to and control of a controlled substance but it is not on the person. Some common ways for constructive possession occur is when a person knowingly stores an illegal controlled substance in their car or at their home. Possessing a smaller quantity of a controlled substance for personal use is commonly known as “simple possession.“
What Is A Controlled Substance?
Federal law as well as state law determines the severity of drug possession charges based on the type of drug and divides them into different “schedules.” Each schedule is based on the potential for dependency and abuse. This sliding scale of schedules starts with Schedule V drugs, having the lowest risk, and increases in severity up to Schedule I, posing the most severe risk.
- Schedule I: Heroin, ecstasy, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana, peyote
- Schedule II: Methamphetamine, cocaine, morphine, methadone, phencyclidine (PCP), fentanyl
- Schedule III: Anabolic steroids, ketamine, barbiturates, testosterone, Tylenol with codeine
- Schedule IV: Valium, Xanax, Tramadol
- Schedule V: Other unlawfully obtained prescription drugs and cough medicines like Robitussin with codeine