Criminal Lawyers Hail New Drug Possession Laws in California

Criminal lawyers are crossing their fingers for changes to drug possession laws in California. The new law, SB 649, would allow prosecuting attorneys to use discretion in charging drug possession as either a felony or misdemeanor. Legislators and criminal lawyers alike are hopeful in that prosecutors will opt to a misdemeanor, instead of a felony, for drug possession when a defendant has no prior criminal history and is non-violent.

Criminal lawyers from LibertyBell Law Group who day in and day out represent violent and non-violent defendants on the full range and degrees of crimes, know first hand that most charged with drug possession need drug treatment, not incarceration. In agreement with Senator Leno, criminal lawyers uphold that drug treatment for simple drug possession makes not only fiscal sense but common sense in treating drug addicts.

Currently in California, drug addicts are charged with a felony for drug possession of cocaine, opiates, heroin and other drugs and are thrown in prison. They never receive the drug treatment they need. Upon completion of their prison sentence, they are released back into the community, and because of the felony on their record they have very little chance of finding a job, and are also not eligible for any government assisted programs such as housing, student loans and more. Criminal lawyers speculate that because they never receive drug treatment when released the addicts are likely to be charged again with another felony for drug possession. In essence, it's easy for someone charged with a felony drug possession to cycle in and out of prison.

SB 649 is a positive and much needed change to existing drug possession laws that have not eradicated any problems but rather encouraged problems. Criminal lawyers know that prisons can have a dramatic and debilitating long term impact not just on the individual but also on their loved ones. LibertyBell Law Group's expert criminal lawyers work very hard every day to save people from the awful life circumstance of having to go to jail or prison. Numerous cases are won every day that give people a life to live outside of a grim 6 feet area adjacent to unwelcoming criminals.