Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance. This means that it is considered to have a high potential for abuse and a lack of accepted medical use. While this classification is upheld by the federal government, state laws that regulate the use of this drug are quite contradicting. In fact, 18 states have already legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. For this reason, most people assume that the lawmakers throughout the U.S. address the recreational use of this drug more tolerantly—or rather that they impose more lenient penalties.
Although this may be true in states that have enacted medical marijuana laws, this is simply not the case in South Carolina. Even if you were found to be in possession of less than one ounce of this illicit drug, you could be sentenced to thirty days in jail. For this reason, the Lexington criminal defense attorney at the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, Jr., LLC encourages you to review the various penalties for marijuana possession and/or purchase below:
Possession of Less than One Ounce – First Offense
- Up to 30 days in jail
- Mandatory driver's license suspension
- Between $100 to $200 in fines
Possession of Less than One Ounce –Second Offense
- Up to one year in jail
- Mandatory driver's license suspension
- Between $200 to $1,000 in fines
Purchase of Marijuana Within ½ Mile of a School or Park
- Up to one year in jail
- Mandatory driver's license suspension
- Up to $1,000 in fines
If you were found to be in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, the state could choose to charge you with a trafficking offense, which would carry significantly increased penalties. In fact, you could be sentenced to five years in prison and subjected to a $5,000 fine for even the mildest of trafficking offenses. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you enlist the help of a Lexington criminal lawyer from the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, Jr., LLC if you have been accused of committing a marijuana-related offense.
Once you have been convicted of a drug crime in South Carolina, your criminal record could be permanently tarnished—not to mention, you could be sentenced to hard time behind bars. Until a verdict has been announced, however, there is always time to fight back. As such, we ask you to get started today by contacting our firm for a free initial consultation. You can either call at (888) 301-6004 or submit a complimentary case evaluation form online.