What to do when charged with possession of marijuana or paraphernalia in Idaho

Its a common scenario; someone is traveling through Idaho, they see the signs and billboards for hotbox and other marijuana supply stores, and they think, Idaho is like the rest of the 48 States in the Country which have some forms of marijuana use. However, if you thought or were thinking that, you would be wrong. 

Idaho has no legal forms of marijuana use. That means if you are traveling through, and even if you bought marijuana legally in another state, the paraphernalia and marijuana are considered illegal here. This also means if you have it for medical purposes, its still illegal, regardless of what the card says, its not valid here in Idaho. But if you find yourself charged with possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia in Idaho here are five tips...

#1. Don't be disrespectful or combative with the Officer. It gets you no where in court even if there is an issue on your case that could get it tossed, if you are being disrespectful or combative with the Officer. Its hard to do when you are mad and know that other States surrounding Idaho would have treated the case differently. This also applies to the judge in Idaho. Just don't do it!

#2. Don't admit to other drugs in the car. You don't have to help the officer do his job of trying to locate other items in the car. Volunteering with law enforcement rarely gets you anywhere. If you have other things in the car, don't volunteer them. 

#3. Plead not guilty on your ticket and then get the Pretrial Conference date. This is huge. Even if you think you are guilty as sin its required to make the State prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. You give up all your leverage if you just plead guilty to avoid the hassle. Also, pleading not guilty is very simple. To plead not guilty simply go into the clerks office or call them and say you want to plead not guilty on the ticket and get a pretrial date. Its a very simple process. Don't miss out on this easy thing to do to help yourself. 

#4. Get a good local criminal attorney who can help navigate you through the weeds (forgive the pun) of the judicial system here. There are some judges who are harsher on marijuana's charges than others. The political controversy in the judicial system over the marijuana possession charges is quite interesting. A local attorney will be able to know the judges view on it based on his past rulings. Also, if there is a problem on the case, which may get the case tossed a criminal attorney would be more apt to seem them and purse them to get you the best outcome. If you are looking for a good local attorney in the Caldwell, Nampa, Payette, Owyhee area's, please consider obtaining a free consultation by clicking here. 

#5 Do what your attorney says. If your attorney wants you to do a marijuana awareness class...do it. If your attorney says to do community service...do it. If your attorney says do an evaluation and complete the recommended treatment....do it. The attorney can only advise. They cannot do the work for you. Sometimes compromises need to be made for dismissals. Prosecutors want to see you do something before they dismiss. Listen to your attorney's advice and do what he asks if you want the best outcome.