Chicago Residents Need An Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney to Defend Against Charges Involving Prescription Drugs

This is the first in a series on defending against prescription drug charges. Many people feel that prescription drug cases are less serious than “street” drug cases. It is important that Chicago residents realize this is not true and they need to take any criminal charges seriously. Over the next few posts we will cover several related topics including:

• How to avoid the trap of thinking these charges are “no big deal”
• Unlawful search and seizure
• These are important issues to address as they are two of the most common hurdles faced by defendants in such situations.

I can stress enough that you should contact a criminal defense attorney immediately if you find yourself charged in such a case. Call my Orland Park office to schedule a consultation.

Common prescription drugs can lead to arrest and prosecution in Cook County Courts whether or not you have a valid prescription

The Cook County State’s Attorney increasingly prosecutes prescription drug cases. Most common prescription pain pills are schedule I drugs under Illinois law. Commonly abused or trafficked prescription drugs include:

• Opioids and synthetic opioids (e.g. Tylenol with Codeine, Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, Suboxone, Methadone, Fentanyl)
• Benzodiazepines (e.g. Xanax, Klonopin, Valium)
• Amphetamines (e.g. Adderall, Eveko) – Schedule II

You can be arrested for possession or possession with intent to sell your prescription drugs even if you have a prescription. It is also a crime in Illinois to have prescriptions from more than three doctors or to fill your prescriptions from multiple pharmacies. It is also a crime to sell, give away, share or in any way allow any other person to take your prescription drugs. It is also important to carry a prescription pad without authorization or alter a prescription. For example, if your doctor prescribed you 10 pills, it is a crime to alter that number, or to alter the number of refills.

Chicago, Illinois defendants harsh stiff penalties for unlawful prescription drug possession or sales

Penalties for prescription drug crimes under Illinois laws can be very harsh. Probation is an option for certain offenses. Your lawyer will review the details of your particular case and advise you of your options and how to achieve the most favorable result. The Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA) assigned to your case will review several factors. These include your criminal history, the number of pills possessed (by weight), and circumstances indicating whether or not the ASA believes you intended to sell, distribute, or otherwise give away the pills.

There are special penalties in Illinois for distributing, selling or giving drugs to minors and pregnant women. The already significant prison terms applied to manufacturing, selling and distributing controlled substances are doubled in these circumstances. All of these issues indicate the necessity of obtaining a qualified Chicago criminal defense lawyer as soon as you know you or a loved one are under investigation or arrest for one of these offenses.

Contact my office to schedule a consultation with an experienced defense attorney. We handle matters in areas of Cook County including Chicago, Chicago Ridge, Glenview, Crestwood, Evergreen Park, Bedford Park, Palos Park, Oak Lawn, Burbank, Oak forest, Blue Island, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Alsip, Bridgeview, Lemont, Orland Hills, Country Club Hills, Hickory Hills, Summit, Richton Park, Midlothian, Worth, Posen, Matteson, Olympia Fields, Hometown, and Tinley Park, in DuPage County areas including Downers Grove, Naperville, Woodridge, and Darien, in Kane County areas including Aurora, Elgin and Geneva, and the Will County cities of Joliet, Bolingbrook, Mokena, Frankfort, New Lenox, Lockport, Homer Glen, Romeoville, and Manhattan.