When you hear or read stories about people who are accused of drug crimes, the story is usually filled with details that seem like an ad-libs. Every charge is “drug ______” with the blank space being filled in with a wide array of potential accusations. After reading the list of charges that are often involved in these stories, it is no surprise that some people can’t distinguish the charges from each other, since they all seem to blend in.
Today, we want to separate these charges and distinguish them:
Drug paraphernalia: This is a charge that relates to equipment for drug use. So syringes, plastic bags, scales, rolling papers and pipes are all examples of equipment that can lead to a drug paraphernalia charge.
Drug possession: This charge will vary from state to state, but generally speaking, it is illegal to possess any illicit or controlled substance. Possession can also be a more serious charge if you possess large quantities of drugs.
Drug trafficking: This leads us to drug trafficking. This crime means that someone had the intent to (or did) sell, distribute or deliver drugs. This is a very serious crime that can lead to federal charges.
Drug manufacturing: If you were involved in any step of the drug manufacturing process, then you can be charged with this crime. Growing marijuana and mixing chemicals to create drugs are two common circumstances for this charge.
Drug “dealing”: While the sale of marihuana may sometimes, depending upon weight, only be a misdemeanor in New York, any sale of a controlled substance, like heroin, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine and the like, no matter how small, is a felony charge.
Source: FindLaw, “Types of Drug Crimes,” Accessed Sept. 13, 2016