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Ocean City Student Drug Lawyer

Drugs have been a prominent aspect of college culture for decades. In Ocean City, this trend is consistent with the rest of the country and therefore it is not uncommon for students to find themselves facing drug charges to a varying degree. If a student is facing drug charge allegations, it is important to contact an experienced Ocean City student defense lawyer who has experience in student drug cases and can help mitigate the damages and negative implications on their future.

Common Drug Charges on Ocean City College Campuses

One very common offense on college campuses is underage possession of alcohol. That essentially means the student is in possession or in control of alcohol and under the age of 21. That could lead to a citation because that’s actually a violation of Maryland law to be in possession of alcohol under the age of 21. Typically, those cases are resolved by way of a student completing community service or perhaps paying a fine, and the case would be dismissed. However, the consequences at the university could be very different because that may cause the student to be placed on probation or have to complete some counseling through the university.

Misdemeanor Drug Possession in Ocean City

While alcohol is prominent, so too is the crime of misdemeanor possession of drugs, which essentially means the student has possession of a drug that has been classified as illegal. While marijuana has become more of a civil offense, there is a lot of pill use at the university level, such as party drugs like molly. Possession of those pills is illegal. The student would definitely be charged in the criminal justice system with misdemeanor possession of drugs, and would have to also deal with the consequences at the university.

Depending on the amount of drugs or what the allegation is as far as whether or not the student was also distributing the drug, they could face a felony charge of possession with intent to distribute or distribution of a drug. Often times, students who are under the age of 21 will possess a fake ID, also. That can lead to charges in District Court for possession of a fake ID, and require the student to perform community service or pay a fine. Drug offenses happen on campus and it’s important for a student to understand that they would face consequences both in court and through the university.

Substance-Related Charges on Ocean City Campuses

They often arise because the campus police — typically it would be the campus police responding to something that has taken place —have been called because of a noise violation or there’s clearly a party going on and it’s out of control. The campus police arrive and if they see that there are drugs, it can quickly lead to the students who are present potentially being charged with possession of the drugs.

Staying in a Campus Dorm Room

A lot at college campuses, including in Ocean City,  have multiple students residing in a dorm room, which sometimes looks more like a suite, or there may be a common area inside that dormitory room, and it’s possible that every student who resides in that dorm room could be charged, even for substances that are found in the common area. It’s important for students to understand that it doesn’t just have to do with any drugs that are found on them or in their pocket. They could actually be charged for something that’s found in the living room area of their dormitory. A lot of times those charges arise from parties on campus that the campus police are called to.

It’s also important for students to understand that by signing off on the student code of conduct or the policies of the university they are allowing the university to come in at different times to inspect the dorm. The code of conduct may require that there may be some sort of notice given to the residents that they’re going to be conducting inspections. However, in several cases where those inspections took place and students were notified, there still were drugs located in plain view in the dorm room when the inspection was taking place. That often times will lead to charges for whatever was found. When that happens, it is very important to get in touch with a student drug lawyer in Ocean City as soon as possible to discuss your situation and how you can best defense yourself.

Consequences of Being Charged

There are two sets of consequences that a student could have to deal with if charged with possession of a substance on campus. First, they could be charged in the criminal system. They could be charged with misdemeanor possession of whatever the drug is. They would have to go to court and have those charges resolved.

At the same time, they could face sanctions at their school for being in possession of drugs on campus. Those sanctions could include possibly being placed on probation or being suspended from the university. It can have very serious consequences on campus. For example, Salisbury University’s code of conduct could require a student to complete an assessment and classes with a counselor for certain drug offenses. Additionally, the student might be told that they have to submit to random drug screening. There could be multiple types of consequences if students are caught with drugs on campus.

Role of an Ocean City Student Defense Attorney

An Ocean City student defense attorney can help explain to the student what the university’s code of conduct is and what the procedures are when facing charges involving drugs. The student defense attorney should be able to educate the student as to how the process would work and what they can expect throughout the process. The student defense attorney is not going to be able to act as an advocate for the student and cannot actively participate in a hearing.

It’s important for students to understand that the same rights they have under the criminal justice system do not apply in a hearing for an infraction of the student code of conduct. When they enroll in a university, students are expected to review the code of conduct. Oftentimes universities will require that a student sign off that they have received a copy of the code of conduct and acknowledge that they have received it, so that the student cannot later say, “I didn’t know that I couldn’t do such and such.”

The consequences that can happen at the university have nothing to do with whether or not a case can be proven in criminal court. Oftentimes the university will take action on a student, including suspending the student or handing down whatever sanction they choose, and they will do that before the criminal matter has even gone to court. The fact that a student might be found not guilty later in a criminal case doesn’t really have anything to do with what happens at the university level.

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