Drug charges are very serious legal matters and can alter the course of Georgia residents’ futures if they are lodged and convictions are secured. Most drug offenses concern the use, possession, sale, or manufacturing of drugs by individuals but another crime exists in the realm of drug cries: possession of drug paraphernalia. This post will explain what drug paraphernalia is and why it is considered criminal to possess it.
Drug paraphernalia is generally any items that may be used to make drugs or use drugs. Normal, everyday items may constitute drug paraphernalia depending upon the context in which they are used. For example, a simple spoon may be a spoon in one household but in the home of an alleged drug user it may be a tool for ingesting illegal substances like cocaine.
Other items of drug paraphernalia are more obvious and overt. Marijuana pipes, rolling papers for marijuana cigarettes, and other drug-specific tools can be easily identified by law enforcement officials and can serve as the bases of drug paraphernalia charges.
It may seem silly that law enforcement officials can make drug paraphernalia arrests and people can be charged with drug paraphernalia crimes when no actual drugs are involved in their cases. However, the laws identify these items as dangerous as they, in some cases, can only be used to put drugs out into communities or may be used to put drugs into human bodies. Reviewing one’s drug paraphernalia case with a trusted criminal defense attorney should be a priority for all men and women who are facing this serious drug offense in Georgia.
