Recently, the Daily Tribune reported that heroin use in small communities throughout Wisconsin is on the rise. When paired with the severity of the state’s penalties for drug crimes and the already strained prison budget, this influx is grounds for concern. But there are none that may suffer more than those that use and may eventually be charged with a drug crime.  

Heroin and Addiction

Considered a highly addictive substance, heroin is an illicit drug processed from the opiate morphine. Those who use are at an increased risk for severe health complications, including overdoses, heart problems, skin infections or abscesses, and diseased organs. Unfortunately, once the addiction takes hold, many would rather face the risk of a complication than endure the intense withdrawal symptoms. In some cases, this may mean obtaining the drugs by any means necessary, which can further add to their already hefty drug penalties.

While Colorado and Washington state have legalized recreational marijuana, and a host of other states have decriminalized possession or are slated to in the near future, Wisconsin has not yet moved in that direction. Currently, the possession, sale and cultivation of marijuana in Wisconsin are all illegal. An arrest for any marijuana-related crime carries the potential for significant penalties and jail time in Wisconsin, and it is imperative to have an experienced and local criminal defense attorney on your side.

Marijuana Possession

Any amount of marijuana possession in Wisconsin is a crime, and the penalties vary depending on several factors. The first factor is whether it is your first or subsequent offense. In addition to the statutorily prescribed penalties for marijuana possession, 100 hours of community service will be added to any conviction of marijuana possession if the possession occurred within 1,000 feet of a school, youth center, public park, pool, housing project, jail, or drug treatment facility.

By Attorney Steven McGaver

A recent case in Whitewater, Wisconsin should provide cause for parents to more carefully monitor the actions of their children when using their automobile. The case which involves a 20-year-old freshman student from UW-Whitewater directly impacts her father, who owns the car in which she used to sell drugs.

The student used her father's car at school and as a means to come home on the weekends and for transportation around the campus and surrounding area. Additionally, and unknown to her father, she also used it to sell drugs to a confidential informant on three separate occasions this past spring. Instead of being charged with a drug crime, law enforcement officials chose to seize the vehicle under the State of Wisconsin's forfeiture law.