Lawyer for Paraphernalia Charges

A Paraphernalia charge is a criminal offense under Washington law. Steve Graham is a criminal defense lawyer who has handled Paraphernalia and other drug offenses for over 20 years. Steve Graham was rated one of Spokane's top five criminal lawyers by the magazine Spokane - Couer d'Alene Living. Mr. Graham writes about the subject of drugs in his blog.

Drug Paraphernalia in Washington State

Although most people think of this offense in terms of "possessing" drug paraphernalia, the law is actually written to make the "use" of drug paraphernalia illegal. RCW 69.50.412 provides that: "It is unlawful for any person to use drug paraphernalia to plant, cultivate, propagate, harvest, grow, manufacture, compound, convert, process, produce, prepare, test, pack, analyze, repack, store, contain, conceal, ingest, inject, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the body a controlled substance."

Such criminal charges don't result from a police officer catching a suspect in the act. Rather most charges stem from a person being caught with a pipe or a scale that contains residue. Under these circumstances it can be difficult for the prosecuting attorney to prove that the "use" of the paraphernalia occurred in the State of Washignton. Because of the broad definition of drug paraphernalia, charges sometimes stem from items we don't typically think of as paraphernalia, such as sandwich baggies or tins. Drug Paraphernalia charges are often coupled with charges such as possession of marijuana or other drugs. Other times, the charge is connected with charges of manufacturing, and the alleged "paraphernalia" are lights or growing equipment.

Free Consultations

Would you like to discuss your paraphernalia court case with Steve Graham? He is available for free consultations on court cases in eastern Washington. You won't get a sales pitch, or any judgments made about what you have done. You will simply receive his honest opinion, and he will listen to you and answer your questions.