Arrested with marijuana in Baltimore

Did you know that possession of any amount of marijuana in Baltimore is considered a misdemeanor and can put you in jail for one year with a fine of $1,000.00? If the authorities determine that you were going to attempt to sell or cultivate the marijuana, then that same marijuana could result in a felony charge with minimum 5 years in jail with a minimum $15,000 fine. The fines and jail times go up from there and are increased by amount of substance you have, whether it is a first or second (or subsequent) offense, and nearness to a school zone.

Transport of marijuana into the state of Maryland is also subject to aggressive prosecution. If you are convicted of transporting five to forty-five kilograms of marijuana into the state you can face up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine while forty-five kilograms or more could cause you to face up to twenty-five years in prison with up to a $50,000 fine. With any of these charges, for a second or further conviction a person can receive a sentence which is double his or her first sentence.

Paraphernalia either for use, sale or even just in your possession is considered a misdemeanor and although there is no jail time for a first offense, there is a fine of $500.00. A second or further offense can get you two years in jail and a $2,000.00 fine.

Maryland passed legislation in 2003 which allows a defendant to claim his or her marijuana use to be for medical purposes. If the defendant’s medical use of marijuana claim is accepted by the court or judge, the maximum penalty that the defendant can face would be a $100.00 fine.

If you are arrested on a marijuana charge the first thing you should do is hire a lawyer. Granted, lawyers are expensive but if you compare the cost of a lawyer to the cost of a fine plus the cost of a guilty verdict there is no comparison. If you are found guilty at trial, it will be on your record which can increase the costs and penalties of any future convictions, cause you to be denied loans for and/or denial to educational programs and make it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain jobs in some fields. These are just a few things that a marijuana conviction can cause and there are many more. If you are arrested on a marijuana charge, the last thing you should be worried about is the cost of the lawyer that will be hard on you for a little while because the cost of a conviction will be hard on you for the rest of your life.