Over the weekend I got busted by the police for possession of alcohol and marijuana. The police confiscated about half a gram of marijuana, a scale, and two pipes that i had. On the citation I received I have summons to appear in a month in court and it listed both charges as infractions. I have been doing research on the internet on marijuana laws in my state (California) and it seems that I am at risk of a 200$ fine and losing my drivers license for a year. I am only 18 and I found that possession of marijuana under the age of 21 in my state means that the court can take away my license. I am not worried about the fine or the infractions on my record but I would be devastated if I lost my license. Is there any way to avoid losing my license? I live in the San Francisco area in Contra Costa county and is wondering if any of you know of any diversion programs I could take to avoid losing my license?
best advice is do not confess to anything. without a confession there is little they can do, especially in the state of california. this is of course assuming that you didnt already confess. if you confessed to the police and the police wrote it in the report your basically fucked. you have no legal ground to stand on. let it be a lesson for next time. this is why they tell you "ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU". so if you didnt confess to anything keep reading: if you didnt confess to anything and you go to court you will be assigned a public defender if you cannot afford a lawyer. they will let you speak to them in private before you go infront of the judge. this is all you need to tell him: the pipes? your friend mighta left it there. you have no idea where it came from. alot of poeple have been in your car. the weed? your friend mighta left it there. you have no idea where it came from. alot of poeple have been in your car. with such little evidence and no confession, you will most likely be assessed a fine and it will end there.
^ wtf that's the worst advice ever... if it was found in HIS car then it's HIS fault, no matter whose it is, it's still his fault. that's like if a police officer catches you smoking a joint and you say to him "oh i didn't know there was weed in it my friend gave it to me" ask your lawyer about it, us stoners can't tell you about such technicalities
I got almost the same charges. possession of mairjuana, paraphelnia for 2 water bongs, and contrib. to a delinquency of am minor. All i did was talk to the prosecuting attorney and told her my situation; I'm a college studnet, I don't work, I just got in an accident in my car, and I've never been in trouble with the law ( first time ever being arrested) She dropped the possession of mairjuana charge (the worst one cause it stays on your record) and the contrib. to the deliquency of a minor. She kept the paraphernalia charge with a $400 dollar fine or choice of community service. So i basically just got off with community service and I didn't even have to pay a lawyer $1000 bucks. Just my story
If the information on the laws of california are as you stated, dude that's justa piece of cake. Down here in texas they would charge you with possesion marijuana less than 2 oz and paraphenilia, which would end up giving like 6 months probations with piss tests every nonth, have to pay your probation every month, will have to do comunity service and will have to go to drug classes....so chill out man, you're lucky.
If you make the case that your driving is vital to school/work/your family they'll probably not take it away if it's your 1st case. You're lucky though, in most states still that would wind up with a few months of probation
actually i think its pretty much the best advice any professional would give, which is to not admit to anything because (in the USA) you can take your case to court and they would have to prove any allegations, which takes money and time, and without a confession from you it makes it harder for them to prosecute you. if you don't believe me just watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters created by a former narcotics unit officer and American Civil Liberties Union director. watch this video for a more in depth look at what you should do when you encounter a police officer.:hat:
