Drug crimes have become increasingly notorious in the last few decades, perhaps most notably after President Nixon’s “War on Drugs” began to gain momentum. While dangerous illegal drugs are a real concern for our country, the stigma around drug charges can be detrimental to reputations, and the zeal with which some law enforcement agencies go after drug offenses can sometimes lead to erroneous charges. This may be especially true in Florida, where drug trafficking seems to be a larger threat than in many other areas of the country.
To get an idea of how rapidly drug law enforcement has escalated, one can look at the list the Bureau of Justice Statistics has regarding the estimated annual drug arrest totals in America from 1980 to 2007. In 1980, the annual total was a little above 580,000. In 2007, the annual total was a little over 1,841,000. That means that the number of drug arrests more than tripled in just 27 years!
While there were some years in which the number of arrests dropped, the overall trend over the time period the statistics covered was a steady increase in drug arrests. Keep in mind that this is the number of arrests, not the number of convictions. It’s safe to assume that a number of the people who have been arrested on drug charges were not actually guilty of the crime or for one reason or another deserved a lesser charge. Defense attorneys can help individuals who have been wrongfully accused of drug crimes.
There are many different drug-related crimes that people can be charged with, ranging from possession to trafficking to manufacturing to conspiracy. If you have been charged with any of these offenses, it’s never too early to enlist the help of attorney to build your case.
