4/20 Drug Arrests: Don’t Run the Risk
The “marijuana holiday,” known as 4/20, is quickly approaching. While the origins of the beloved cannabis holiday remain unclear, the bottom line is countless people across the nation will waste no time celebrating. States like California and Colorado have long been home to cannabis enthusiasts, but as more and more states legalized marijuana over the years, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw a record number of people celebrating 4/20 this year.
After over a year of suffering a global pandemic, people are looking forward to having an excuse to blaze up. But Texas doesn’t allow it. Recreational marijuana remains illegal in Texas, and only a certain group of qualified patients are allowed to use marijuana to help treat their medical conditions. As one of the strictest states on cannabis, Texas is far from being “4/20 friendly.”
With this in mind, if you and your friends plan on celebrating 4/20 in Texas this year, you may want to think again. Simple possession of marijuana is a “wobbler” charge, meaning you can get a misdemeanor or felony charge if you’re caught with even the smallest amount of weed.
Don’t be fooled. Just because it’s 4/20 and “everyone’s smoking weed,” you must remember that Texas police officers won’t care. Their job is to enforce the law, and if Texas law bans recreational marijuana, know that the police will arrest you if you break these laws.
The scary part is, 4/20 gives officers a great excuse to look out for illicit drug activities. The police aren’t living under a rock - they know what people are doing on 4/20. As such, it’s in your best interests to avoid smoking or ingesting cannabis on any day, particularly, on April 20th.
What happens if you get caught? The penalties for marijuana possession in Texas include:
- Possession of under 2 ounces: Misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or $2,000 fines. You may be required to serve 2 years of probation.
- Possession of 2 to 4 ounces: Misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail and/or a $4,000 fine.
- Possession of 4 to 5 pounds: Felony punishable by 180 days to 2 years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine.
- Possession of 5 to 50 pounds: Felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine
- Possession of 50 to 2,000 pounds: Felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
- Possession of over 2,000 pounds: Felony punishable by 5 to 99 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
While these penalties are frightening enough, you may also lose your driving privileges, do community service hours, attend mandatory counseling at your expense, and more. Not to mention, you will live with a criminal record for years on end, limiting your access to employment, housing, loans, higher education, licenses/certifications, and more.
It’s not worth it.
Celebrating 4/20 by smoking pot could cost you everything. If you face the risk of losing your freedom and future, call an experienced Irving criminal defense attorney at 972.330.4050. J. Roland Jeter is on your side!