There are situations in which you may end up holding illegal drugs that you do not own. For instance, maybe you don’t actually use any illegal substances yourself, but you have friends who do. You could end up carrying a backpack or a bag containing these substances. There could also be a situation where someone else brings drugs to your home or leaves them in your car, and the police discover them.
No matter how it happens, these are not your substances. But if you are caught with them, could you still be arrested?
It is still drug possession
Yes, in short, you could still be arrested for the crime of drug possession. For instance, maybe the substances in question are prescription medications and you are not the holder of that prescription. Or, perhaps the substances are something like cocaine or MDMA, which are always illegal. If you’re not allowed to possess them, doing so still violates the law, even if you didn’t purchase them and you have not used them.
In other words, it’s not just using these substances that is illegal. Mere physical possession is also a violation of the law.
So what should you do?
If you do find yourself under arrest or facing charges, remember that you don’t have to answer any questions that the police ask. They’re going to try to build a case, and they may try to get you to incriminate yourself. Even if you feel that it’s all a misunderstanding, it’s important for you to look into the legal options that you have.
