The most common is marijuana. You can be charged with minor or simple possession of marijuana, all the way up to felony-level possession and distribution. In all the counties that I work in, second to marijuana would be methamphetamines. Even a small amount of methamphetamines is a felony in the state of Utah, so that’s pretty rampant in most of the counties that I practice in. After that it would be heroin, and I also see a few cases involving cocaine.
Another big one is the synthetics. These are drugs that are manufactured in a laboratory. They have similar chemical structures to the controlled substances, so they call them synthetics or analogs. They can come in depressants or hallucinogens that affect the central nervous system. If you’re in possession of these, it’s typically a felony level charge.
I also see a lot of prescription drugs. People will get a prescription for an injury or an illness and they will start selling or giving away the drugs to friends. Friends don’t realize that possessing them without a legal prescription could be a felony.
This one is a little different: in Utah it’s called abuse of a psycho toxic chemical solvent. People go into a hardware store and buy or steal some spray paint and they will take it and spray it on to a towel. Then they will put that towel over their face and just start inhaling it. They’ll then have reactions and sometimes they’ll pass out and people will find them lying somewhere with paint on their face.
The last major one is the anabolic steroid. Weight lifters and athletes are sometimes caught possessing these. My last client had gotten in an argument with his girlfriend and his girlfriend wanted him to get him in trouble. She called the police and told them that he was using these and he had them in his gym bag. They arrested him and of course they found the steroids. That’s the kind of cases I have been working on in the counties that I practice in.
What Counties Do You Cover? Have You Seen A Lot Of Drug Crimes Happen?
The major counties that I practice in include Cash, Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Morgan, and Tooele. It’s a pretty big area, keeps me pretty busy, but I will go anywhere in the state if someone wants me to. I’ve had clients that live, for example, in Cash County and I have helped them out there and they’ve moved all the way south to Washington County. The major city down there would be what they call the city of St. George. They just liked my services and liked my representation, so they were willing to hire me down there for that case and pay me to go down there and handle their charges for them.
For more information on Common Drug Cases in Utah, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling (801) 554-5220 today.
