Criminal Defence Law and Calgary Drug Offences

Drug use has long been a complex legal, social, medical/public health problem, not just in Calgary but throughout the world. Every culture has dealt with intoxicating substances, including alcohol and other primarily plant-based psychoactives, in one way or another; some consider certain intoxicants holy and revered them for their potent perspective-changing abilities, while other shunned any mind-altering as a deviation from the natural laws that govern humanity.

Our modern drug laws developed out of a sense of moral control and the belief that the use of most if not all intoxicants was a moral wrong in and of itself, in other words, it was not what you might do while intoxicated that was a problem, but rather the act of becoming intoxicated itself.

As societies have become larger and more complex and as drugs have become increasingly refined in laboratories to achieve greater potency yet also posing a greater threat, laws have shifted from this purely moralistic point of view to practical concerns for overall public health and safety. Yet even as this public health perspective has grown, bolstered by medical as well as sociological evidence that handling drugs in this manner rather than from a criminal justice perspective is better for all concerned (and is cheaper for society), the criminalization of drugs still retains the punitive intent of laws created for moralistic reasons.

Drug offences in Calgary may be viewed with more compassion by the public at large and by your family and friends, but the law still treats the simple act of possessing a controlled substance as a serious crime punishable by substantial fines and even jail time. What may seem to be a relatively minor and entirely personal choice in your own life can be viewed very differently by the Calgary Police and the Crown prosecutors, and you deserve defence assistance from a passionate and experienced criminal defence lawyer who can help you understand your options and get your life back under your control as quickly as possible.

Your Right to a Calgary Criminal Defence Lawyer Following a Drug Charge/Arrest

Criminal justice law is complex, but there is one thing common to everyone in Calgary and throughout Canada when they have been charged with a crime or arrested for suspicion of having committed a crime, including drug-related charges and arrests: your right to consult with a licensed and knowledgeable criminal defence lawyer.

The right to effective legal representation when you have been arrested and/or charged with a crime is considered so important that it is even included in the highest body of law in the nation. Section 10 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states:

10. Everyone has the right on arrest or detention

• a) to be informed promptly of the reasons therefor;
• b) to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right

Any time you are arrested, you have the right to know why and the right to contact a criminal defence lawyer as soon as is practically possibly. If you've been charged with a drug offence in the Greater Calgary Area and would like a free initial consultation with one of Calgary's leading criminal defence lawyers, contact Susan Karpa today.