Please Help - Possession of a Controlled Substance

[grhymes88]

I don't consider myself a bad person, I just keep falling into a really bad spiral. I already got a DUI in May which I have a lawyer for and my parents know about this. I am 20 years old (turning 21 in 3 weeks) and from Ontario with only that one charge on my record so far which i'm hoping my lawyer can bring down to 'wreckless/careless driving'.

My problem is yesterday, me and a group of friends were hanging out at a park. There were about 6 of us, and we were drinking. I didn't get any tickets for drinking or anything like that but I was searched and had no more than ONE gram (1g) of marijuana on me. The cop felt like acting like a tough guy, he was training a new cop that didn't really know what he was doing.

He gave me a charge and set a court date in a month. There is no way I can tell my parents about this and I don't feel the need for a lawyer for such a ridiculous case. The marijuana was in a crushed cigar box, broken into 3 separate pieces which were going to be used amongst the group. I told the cop it wasnt mine and I didnt pay for it, I just had it on me because we were going to use it soon and I was going to prepare or roll it.

I just don't know what to do for court. I will have to represent myself and im very nervous about this, the cop was saying I could just plead guilty and deal with it. But at the same time, why would I plead guilty? It was for personal use and it was a very small amount.

Can anyone please help? What are the chances they see my DUI and automatically increase penalties for this charge? Im attending University this September for Biomed so I was wondering if I could bring my school papers and stuff and just explain i'm a student and some other stuff?

[StephenFoster]

I'm a US attorney, so I really can't help you, but I felt horrible that no one responded.

In the US, Marijuana charges are no joke. You might want to talk to a Canadian lawyer, you can find one that won't charge you for a consultation.

If you were on probation when you got picked up, that might change everything.

At least talk to a lawyer.

[neoflex]

I am not a lawyer, but I do know that yes they will look at your record and see your DUI. That is for sure. In the US, this sort of charge is considered serious and therefore the DUI would definitely increase the chances of bad consequences for you. But in Canada it might not be considered as serious. I know in Montreal it is decriminalized, so that amount wouldn't have been a problem for you. In Ontario it might not be the same.