Over the last quarter century, the opioid epidemic has taken over a half million lives in drug overdose deaths. The epidemic has affected people from all walks of life, and has caused an ongoing, inestimable scourge of devastation.
Recently, according to news reports, a Cave Spring Police Department officer and another man were apprehended and charged with conspiracy to possess and conspiracy to distribute opioids, respectively. Police say the two participated in multiple drug transactions in Rome, Georgia, and its environs.
Several drug task forces worked together to apprehend the team, who are being held now in Floyd County Jail.
Controlled substances
Controlled substances are drugs that are either flat-out illegal or that can only be obtained with a proper prescription. Georgia law organizes these substances into five categories, from high to low, according to their abuse and dependency potential (this list is not intended to be all inclusive):
- Schedule I: Considered the most dangerous drugs (heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, methaqualone, peyote)
- Schedule II: These are either narcotic or non-narcotic drugs and require a prescription. They include cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, opium, codeine, meperidine, oxycodone, fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall and Ritalin.
- Schedule III: This category includes Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, steroids and testosterone.
- Schedule IV: This category includes certain popular prescription drugs such as Xanax, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Valium and Tramadol
- Schedule V: Drugs that require a prescription but have significantly lower degrees of potential for abuse.
Both possession and sale of controlled substances are felonies with sentences of up to 30 years of incarceration, depending on which schedule of drug is involved and the quantity found upon arrest.
This kind of jail sentence changes the trajectory of the perpetrators’ lives, upending the lives of their families along with them.
It is a basic tenet of our judicial system that every individual, if accused, is innocent until proven guilty and entitled to a vigorous defense. If individuals are faced with drug charges, they are well advised to promptly seek the assistance of an experienced criminal defense attorney.
