If you’ve been arrested and charged with a drug crime, you need a Norwell drug charge lawyer to help minimize the consequences you face.
Failing to hire a Norwell criminal defense lawyer could end up with you spending years or even decades in jail and facing numerous other direct and indirect consequences from your drug charges.
Schedule a free, confidential consultation with the compassionate, non–judgmental team from Nate Amendola Defense today to discuss your options.
How a Norwell Drug Charge Lawyer Can Help You
Beyond upholding our core values of Mindfulness, Discipline, Courage, Precision, and Wisdom, the experienced attorneys at Nate Amendola Defense can help you by:
- Conducting a confidential, comprehensive evaluation and review of your case
- Representing you in all correspondence with prosecutors and police officers
- Investigating the drug charges and gathering evidence to support your defense
- Developing a personalized defense strategy to get you the best outcome
For a free legal consultation with a drug charges lawyer serving Norwell, call (781) 740-0800
Common Drug Charges in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the consequences of felony drug convictions vary widely depending on what you’re charged with, which drug you’re accused of possessing, distributing, trafficking, or manufacturing, and how much of the drug you had on you at the time of your arrest.
Some of the most common drug charges in Massachusetts include:
- Operating Under the Influence (OUI)
- School Zone Violation
- Drug Manufacturing
- Drug Trafficking
- Drug Distribution
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Drug Paraphernalia
- Possession with Intent to Distribute
- Possession of Controlled Substances
Norwell Drug Charges Lawyer Near Me (781) 740-0800
Massachusetts Drug Class Structure
According to Massachusetts General Laws Part I Title XV Chapter 94C Section 31, there are five classes of controlled substances.
Class A
Consisting of opiates, opium derivatives, opioids, and a few other drugs, Class A substances include things like:
- Fentanyl
- Ketamine
- Morphine
- Heroin
- Gamma Hydroxy Butyric Acid (GHB)
Class B
Class B substances include opium, opiates, drugs made from coca leaves, stimulants, hallucinogens, and depressants. Examples include:
- LSD
- Amphetamine
- 3,4–methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA)
- Methadone
Class C
Certain depressants, narcotics, hallucinogenic substances, and drugs, including codeine, are Class C substances, including:
- Klonopin
- Lorazepam
- Peyote
- Mescalin
- Psilocybin
Class D
Class D substances are more limited and include things like:
- Barbital
- Phenobarbital
- Marijuana
Class E
Class E substances include limited quantities of narcotic drugs (such as codeine or opium) mixed with nonnarcotic active medicinal ingredients.
Click to contact our Norwell Criminal Defense Lawyers today
Federal Drug Schedule
The federal drug schedule is similar to the Massachusetts drug class structure, except the drugs are classed into Schedules I through V instead of Classes A through E.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form now
Massachusetts Marijuana Laws
Since recreational marijuana use has been legalized in Massachusetts, you may possess up to one ounce of marijuana. However:
- Cannabis is still illegal under federal law
- You can be charged with operating a vehicle under the influence (OUI) for driving while impaired by marijuana
- You can be charged with a drug offense if you possess more than the legal amount
- You can be charged with a felony for selling marijuana to a minor (under the age of 18)
Legal Defenses
We understand that every case is unique, so we’ll listen to the circumstances surrounding your specific situation and use our holistic approach to criminal defense to craft a personalized defense strategy.
Here are a few of the legal defenses we often use to defend our clients against drug charges.
Chain of Custody
If police didn’t follow Massachusetts’ specific rules about how evidence must be handled every step of the way from the moment they obtain it until your trial, our trained team of attorneys will uncover those discrepancies and attack them.
Unlawful Search and Seizure
With a few limited exceptions, police must have either a warrant or probable cause to search you, your home, or your vehicle.
If police violated the Fourth Amendment and Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by obtaining evidence via an illegal search or stop, we’ll make sure to bring up the “exclusionary rule,” requiring the judge to “suppress” (throw out) that evidence.
Inability to Certify a Drug
The Commonwealth must get evidence certified by a lab to prove that it is a drug and determine what type of drug it is.
The lab analyst must then testify at trial about the results of their test and the methods they used to get those results.
Your drug charge can’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt without this crucial evidence.
Schedule a Free, Confidential Consultation With a Norwell Drug Charge Attorney
Drug charges could ruin your life, but they don’t have to. A Norwell drug charge attorney from Nate Amendola Defense may be able to get your charges reduced, a not-guilty verdict, or even potentially get your charges tossed out entirely.
We use a holistic approach to criminal defense and results-driven strategies to fight for the best-case scenario for each unique situation.
Contact us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation with one of our compassionate attorneys. If necessary, we can even recommend resources for addiction, mental health issues, and other underlying problems.
Call or text (781) 740-0800 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
