Drug addiction is a tough disease. It’s often difficult to overcome the impacts that the addiction can cause. For some, the call of the drugs is so strong that they’re willing to risk going to prison just to get their next fix. Those individuals need to get help instead of being punished.
One drug that’s particularly addictive is heroin. Unfortunately, this comes with some of the harshest penalties for drugs in this state. All heroin charges are felonies in this state, so be sure to consider that information when you’re determining how to handle your defense.
Potential penalties
A person who’s convicted of possession of heroin faces up to five years in prison, a driver’s license suspension and up to $5,000 in fines. Being convicted of selling, delivering or manufacturing comes with the possibility of up to 15 years in prison or on parole, a driver’s license suspension and up to $10,000 in fines.
Trafficking of heroin comes with a tiered penalty system. These range from three years in prison for 4 to 14 grams of heroin up to life in prison for 30 kilograms or more of heroin.
Some individuals who are facing heroin charges for the first time may qualify for a special program that enables them to get help for their drug addiction under the court’s supervision. Your attorney can work with you to determine if you qualify for that program. This should be done early in your defense, so be sure to consider it then. Even if you don’t qualify for drug court, working on your defense quickly is imperative.
