With the recent changes to marijuana laws in Colorado, it can be difficult to keep up with what is legal and what will earn you fines and/or jail time. While the recreational use and cultivation of marijuana are legal, there are limits to how much you can grow and how much can possess without getting in trouble. If you do end up being arrested for marijuana possession, you should contact a criminal justice lawyer in Vail as soon as you can.
Legal Marijuana Possession
The laws for possessing or growing marijuana for personal use have been relaxed, but there are limits that can still lead to fines or your being arrested for more serious charges. It is legal for you to have one ounce or less of marijuana in your possession if you are at least 21 years old. However, you can face fines of $100 for possessing one to two ounces of marijuana.
If you are caught smoking in public and have one to two ounces in your possession, you not only face a $100 fine, but you could spend up to 15 days in jail. Possessing up to 12 ounces of marijuana is still a misdemeanor, but you stand to face up to 18 months in jail and fines up to $10,000. Even though it is a misdemeanor, you should still seek the advice of a criminal justice lawyer if you are arrested and charged with possession of more than one ounce of marijuana.
Legal Cultivation
Growing marijuana for your own personal use is also legal in Colorado, but again there are limits to how much you can grow. If you have six plants or fewer, you will not be charged with any crime. However, if you have more than six plants, even if it is one more, you will face felony charges, which could mean facing a fine of up to half a million dollars and up to six years in jail.
With such harsh penalties for the cultivation, you need to hire a criminal justice lawyer if you are arrested for having more than six plants. Your attorney can help defend you and possibly get the penalties reduced if they can prove the plants were solely for your personal use. They may investigate the circumstances of your arrest to determine if it was done legally and if the authorities had the proper warrants for searching your premises.
Although the marijuana laws are much more relaxed now, there are limitations to how relaxed they are, and you should be prepared to call a criminal justice lawyer for representation if you have been arrested. The firm of Heckman & O’Connor Attorneys at Law has experience in drug-related criminal matters and can give you the advice you need.
