Generally, Cultivation can be defined as anyone who plants, cultivates, harvests, dries or processes any drug. Typically, this relates to marijuana. The terms are often used interchangeably. Because cultivation usually involves the growth of large amounts of the plant and often leads to growth for the purposes of distribution, it is normally charged as a felony.

The creation of drugs other than marijuana is referred to as Manufacturing. Manufacturing usually refers to the production of controlled substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD and Ecstacy (MDMA). The terms "cultivation" and "manufacturing" are often used interchangeably.

Many people are under the false impression that they can legally grow their own marijuana if they possess a medical marijuana prescription. ATTENTION: The Federal government does not recognize the legal possession or growth of marijuana for medical purposes. The Supreme Court has overruled state medical marijuana laws. Therefore, growth or cultivation of marijuana, even for medical purposes, is still regarded as a Federal Crime. Federal and state drug cultivation laws vary according to the drug type and the amount produced.

Since the advent of the "war on drugs" in the 1980's, the government at all levels has aggressively pursued drug convictions. Drug crimes are considered "gateway crimes" that can eventually lead to other types of crimes including white collar, violent and sexual crimes. Big drug busts mean big publicity for prosecutors and politicians.

Citizens who may be in involved in the possession or distribution of drugs are favorite targets of prosecutors because drug convictions tend to be easier to get than other types of crimes. The prevalence of drug use leads many people to assume drug charges are minor, "victimless" crimes.

On the contrary, drug crimes have among the most aggressive sentencing guidelines in the criminal justice system. Even minor possession charges can result in a criminal record, loss of your driver's license and difficulty in keeping or getting jobs. Convictions on possession of controlled substances or on selling or trafficking drugs can result in long prison times with mandatory sentencing guidelines. This is why drug charges must be fought with an extremely skilled and vigorous defense.

The most common approach to drug crimes defense is to get the charges dismissed or substantially reduced without a trial. Pre-trial defense strategies usually center around the suppression or handling of evidence. This requires more than just knowledge of the law. It requires specific experience in drug related defense strategies backed by forensic experts who can conduct the research necessary for a successful defense.

The obvious goal of a criminal defense firm is to get charges against you dismissed or, barring that, get a not guilty verdict. In the case of drug crimes, there can be many individual charges, each of which carries its own sentence.

In the event that it is not possible to disprove a specific charge against you, we can be extremely helpful at sentence reduction. The complexity of drug cases creates many opportunities for plea bargains, and the lattitude that state court judges can have makes it possible to greatly reduce sentences and penalties.

At LibertyBell Law Group, we have a national team of top trial attorneys with specific experience defending against drug criminal charges. Our experience spans state courtrooms across the country and the federal court system. Our attorneys have successfully defended clients in cases involving millions of dollars and multiple years of defense work.

As a client, you can now draw on the combined talents and resources of a large, national law firm with one goal -- getting the best possible result for your case. We stand ready to defend you both inside and outside the courtroom.

Call us now at 1-800-432-BELL (2355) for a free consultation with one of our star attorneys. Early intervention is the key to our mutual success.