Illinois is one of only 18 states that makes possession of drugs (except marijuana or ten grams or less of other drugs) a felony in most cases. This results in even relatively small amounts of drugs, resulting in serious involvement with the legal system. Despite the fact that the Illinois Controlled Substances Act states that it is not the intent to treat the unlawful user or occasional petty distributor with the same severity as large-scale drug traffickers, in practice, this is exactly what happens.
Even though Illinois drug crime laws are harsh, in many cases, federal drug laws and punishments are even harsher. An individual arrested on federal drug charges is more likely to be prosecuted and more likely to be convicted (Federal drug charges have a conviction rate of 76 percent and an incarceration rate of 55 percent). If you are facing state drug charges, you need a highly experienced Naperville, IL criminal defense attorney as quickly as possible to minimize the long-term effects.