You could walk into almost any college dorm right now and find “drug paraphernalia”. But how is it illegal, even if you are not using it? What if you didn’t even know it was in the room? Or if it was a friend’s paraphernalia.
Besides the normal drug charge for, let’s say…marijuana, additional charges can occur for being in possession of paraphernalia. This means pipes, bongs, roach clips…hell, even a hollowed out apple. While weed is becoming more and more acceptable around the nation, that doesn’t mean every state is on board. For example, Florida is one of the toughest states on drug crimes. Yes, this includes cannabis. This state’s definition of drug paraphernalia is very broad and can even include normal, every day household items. Even smoking pipes that are sold in tobacco shops can be considered drug paraphernalia under Florida’s harsh drug laws.
If you are arrested for drug paraphernalia, you are going to need an attorney to investigate the initial search and seizure, as well as the events that led to the arrest for paraphernalia possession. In a worst case scenario, if you are convicted of drug paraphernalia possession, the judge can impose a penalty of up to one year in prison. Aside from that, you could be looking at a year of probation and thousands of dollars in fines. Sounds pretty serious for what is considered a first degree misdemeanor under FL law. That’s why your defense lawyer must look at every available defense.
