ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Drug Possession Defense | Haskell & Dyer
"Simple" Possession Can Leave a Record That Follows You for Years.
A possession charge can shadow you into job applications, housing, and school. But it often starts with a search that may not have been legal. We challenge how the drugs were found and push for dismissal, diversion, or a result that keeps you clean.
Where These Cases Are Won
If the search was bad, the evidence can be thrown out.
Most possession cases rest on one thing: the drugs the police found. If the stop, the search, or the seizure broke the rules, that evidence can be suppressed, and without it the case can collapse. That is why the first question we ask is not "were they yours," it is "how did the police find them."
What You're Facing
Possession Is More Than a Slap on the Wrist
Even a first, small-amount charge carries weight that reaches well past the courtroom.
The Charge
Simple Possession
Having a controlled substance for personal use. Depending on the drug and amount, it can mean fines, probation, jail, and a drug conviction on your record. Paraphernalia charges often ride along with it.
The Real Cost
The Record That Lingers
A drug conviction can show up on background checks for jobs, housing, financial aid, and licenses long after the case is over. Keeping it off your record is often the whole point of the defense.
Ways to Stay Clean
Paths That Keep a Conviction Off Your Record
A charge does not have to become a conviction. Depending on your situation, several routes can keep your record clean.
Dismissal
When the search was unlawful or the evidence is weak, we push to have the charge dropped entirely.
Diversion
Programs that resolve the case through treatment or conditions instead of a conviction, where you qualify.
Probation Before Judgment
A Maryland outcome that can avoid a conviction on your record if you meet certain conditions.
Expungement Later
Some resolved cases can eventually be cleared from your record entirely. We plan with that in mind.
What's at Stake
A Conviction Reaches Into Everyday Life
The fine is the least of it. The lasting damage is to the opportunities a record can quietly close.
Jobs
A drug record employers can see on a background check
Housing
A conviction landlords can use to turn you down
School
Possible effects on financial aid and admissions
Record
A mark that lingers long after the case ends
How We Defend a Possession Charge
We start with how the police got the drugs, then build toward the cleanest outcome the facts allow.
We Challenge the Search
The stop and search have to follow the rules. If they did not, we move to suppress the evidence, which can end the case.
We Question Possession
The State has to prove the drugs were actually yours and that you knew. In shared cars or homes, that is far from automatic.
We Pursue Diversion
Where treatment fits better than punishment, we push for programs that resolve the case without a conviction.
We Protect Your Record
Dismissal, probation before judgment, and a path to expungement. Keeping you clean is the goal.
Common Questions
Drug Possession, Answered
It was a small amount. Why is this a big deal?
Because the conviction, not the amount, is what follows you. A drug record can show up on background checks for jobs, housing, and school long after a small case is over. That is exactly why it is worth fighting to keep it off your record.
The police searched me without asking. Does that help my case?
It might help a lot. Police generally need a lawful basis to stop and search you. If they did not have one, the drugs they found can be suppressed, and without that evidence the case often falls apart. We look hard at exactly how the search happened.
The drugs weren't even mine. Can I still be charged?
Yes, especially when drugs are found in a shared car or home. But the State has to prove they were actually yours and that you knew about them. When more than one person had access, that is often a real weakness in the case.
Can I keep this off my record?
Often, yes. Dismissal, diversion programs, and probation before judgment can all keep a conviction off your record, and some cases can later be expunged. Which path fits depends on your situation, and we will give you an honest read.
Is it worth getting a lawyer for a first offense?
Yes. First offenses are often the most savable, with diversion and probation before judgment on the table, but those outcomes are easier to reach with a lawyer who knows how to get there. Pleading guilty quickly can cost you a clean record you could have kept.
Charged With Possession? Protect Your Record Before It's Too Late.
The charge often starts with a search that may not have been legal, and many of these cases end without a conviction. Tell us what happened and get an honest read on your options. The first conversation is free.
Arrested after hours? Call our 24/7 line: 240-687-0179
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC
Fax: 301-627-5848
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