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Philadelphia meth manufacturing may lead to harsh penalties

There has been a war on drugs in Philadelphia for a long time. Despite the efforts, there are still many people who use and are addicted to illegal drugs. While people still use drugs, the war on drugs has resulted in much harsher penalties for those who are caught using them. As people use them, other people need to supply them. And, the penalties for distributing the drugs are even harsher than those for just drug possession.

Many of the drugs in Philadelphia are transported to the city from other countries or other parts of the United States. But, some drugs are produced right in the city.

People grow marijuana in their homes and others manufacture methamphetamine. The penalties for those who are caught doing either are even harsher than those who deal the drugs.

There is also a presumption that if a person possesses more than 40 grams or 15 packages of the drugs used to produce meth, they had the intent to manufacture meth. The person could be found guilty of a felony and forced to pay significant fines.

However, no matter the length of the total jail sentence, the person would have to serve at least two years in prison, prior to being eligible for parole, probation or work release. The person could also have to pay fines for the clean-up of any chemicals found in thier meth laboratory.

As with any crime in Philadelphia, if a person is charged with manufacturing meth, they are innocent until proven guilty. Simply being charged does not automatically mean that the person will be convicted. There may be defenses available, depending on the circumstances. Many times, the defenses begin with whether the person was legally stopped by the police and whether they conducted a legal search. People have constitutional rights after being charged with a crime, and it is important to protect those rights.

Source: Pa.gov, “The controlled substances, drugs, device and cosmetics Act, Section 18,” accessed on Sept. 19, 2016

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