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How to Get Drug Charges Expunged: What You Need to Know

how to get drug charges expunged
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One question we always seem to get revolves around the subject of how to get drug charges expunged. And while this is a pretty straightforward question, you will need to familiarize yourself with the subject in order to fully understand the answer.

To help you out, here’s a brief article explaining everything you need to know about getting drug charges expunged.

What is a Criminal Record?

Before we talk about what expungement is, we first have to talk about what a criminal record is. A criminal record is the list of a person’s arrests and convictions. This information is kept and maintained by the criminal justice system.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not only the courts and government agencies that have access to criminal records. The general public has access to these records. This means that potential employers and landlords can take a peek at your criminal record, which means they’ll be made aware of any crimes that you’ve committed at any point in your life.

What is Expungement?

We’re sure that it can be quite concerning to have your criminal record out in the open. Luckily, there are ways to “clean” your criminal record. Now, we aren’t saying that you can clear the entire thing out and start fresh.

However, what you can do is to have some parts of your record removed from public view. This is called expungement.

Not all incidents can be expunged. The most common reason for expungement is the lack of a conviction. With that being said, this doesn’t mean that only cases where an individual was not convicted can be expunged. Given the right circumstances, there are types of convictions that can still be expunged.

What Drug Convictions Qualify for Expungement?

Considering how common drug-related cases are, many of you may want to know if drug convictions can be expunged from your criminal record. So what drug convictions can be expunged?

Depending on the state that you are in, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana or less than five grams of hashish can be expunged. However, the individual needs to prove the amount is under this limit.

First or second-degree offense or drug charges are usually not eligible for expungement if an individual is charged with intent to sell a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS).

Third or fourth-degree offenses for the sale, distribution, or possession with the intention of selling CDS might be allowed to be expunged if the court understands and considers that this would be in the public interest.

This can get rather complicated as this will depend on the character and the conduct of the individual applying for expungement.

If you have a question about how to get drug charges expunged in Louisiana, contact The Law Office of Christopher M. Stahl today.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article proves to be useful when it comes to helping you better understand the expungement process. As you can see, there are a lot of things that will need to be taken into consideration when it comes to scrubbing your criminal record clean of drug charges. If you have more specific questions on this subject, it would be best to contact a lawyer.

Searching for a Bossier City lawyer to provide advice on expungements? Contact The Law Office of Christopher M Stahl today! He’s an attorney specializing in family law, criminal defense, expungements, wills and successions, personal injury, and civil disputes. We serve clients in Louisiana, from Webster to Minden.

Contact us by filling out the form below.

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