The first thing cops are going to do when they arrest you is try to get you to turn on your friends. Cops always look for the bigger bust. They'll promise a reduced sentence for you, and while sometimes they do come through on this promise, usually they'll pump you and threaten you to turn in more and more of your friends, changing the deal that you made at their whim. Often times working with the police will make your charges increase, because the cops find more ways to charge you with the same crime, or they get to know you and figure out how you work and what other crimes you're committing. They'll promise you safety. They'll promise that your victim will never know it was you. These are both blatant lies. The first thing the police do when they bust someone is start trying to destroy friendships, and the cops will sell you out faster than you sold out yourself. And they will offer no protection whatsoever if someone decides to take vengeance on you. When I was arrested, the officer also lied about numerous other things, like how things would work, and what kind of penalty I was facing. The officer insisted that if I didn't work with them I faced a one year mandatory minimum in state prison. When I finally talked to a lawyer, I discovered my charge had a maximum of 90 days in local jail.

The other issue with narcing on your friends, is that once it's all over, if somehow the cops come through on their promises, you'll need to quit all illegal activities, because the police will specifically be targeting you, since they already know you're willing to work with them.

So if you're arrested, again, don't be an asshole about it, but don't speak to the police unless it is absolutely necessary. You are under no obligation whatsoever to speak, except to give your name. Don't let them trick you into divulging information. Make it clear that you want to speak to a lawyer before you answer any questions whatsoever.

Remember that a night in jail is not so bad. Movies and TV and the government want you to believe that jail is equivalent to hell on earth, full of beatings and ass-rapings, but it's not. When stuff like that happens in a local jail, people get sued. So one night in jail is nothing to worry about, and will probably make you a stronger person because of it (I wouldn't trade my one night in jail for anything, as I feel it made me a much better person in the long run). Narcing on a friend, on the other hand, will bring years of guilt and disrespect from everyone you deal with from then on.

Don't try to be big and macho about things, either. Don't try to tell the cops that you don't care about jail, because that will just challenge them to come down even harder on you in court, or in the plea-bargain negotiations. Don't be afraid to cry, especially if you're a girl. Deep down inside cops know what they do is morally wrong, and they can still feel guilt. at least on some distant level. And they more than deserve to feel guilty for the atrocities they commit. Just don't try to fake your crying. They can usually tell when someone's being phony.

Now, the question of whether to hire a lawyer or get a public defender can be a difficult one. With a public defender, there's always the risk that pe's working directly with the police and will sabotage your case. But with a simple marijuana charge, it might not be worth the money to you to hire a real lawyer. You must consider your case as well. Is it pretty obvious that you're guilty, or do you think that if you had a good, manipulative lawyer, pe could make you look innocent, or at least find a technicality or loophole to get your case thrown out? Do you think the cops did something wrong that a real lawyer could pick out? If so, it's a good idea to at least take a few free consultations from professional lawyers. Remember that lawyers are sleazy people, but state prosecutors are ten times sleazier than the average lawyer, so it's good to have someone on your side that can play the game.

Then, the question of plea-bargaining or taking your case to trial. In almost all cases, the state will attempt to plea bargain. I personally feel, however, that drug dealers have a duty to their country to fight their case to the death. But making this statement makes me a hypocrite as I plea-bargained my own case, bringing a long jail sentence down to a few hours of community service. However, there are an incredible amount of things that can happen to get you out of trouble if you choose to fight your case in court, even if you have absolutely no case whatsoever. The police officer might forget to show up, for example, or something more important might come up, or someone might have forgotten to fill out some form, or just one member on the jury might believe that our drug laws are morally wrong and find you not guilty for that reason.

Also, when police officers are forced to show up for a court date, that means they can't be spending that time busting others, so in a sense, you are possibly saving one other person from being busted if you choose to fight your case in court.

Jury members have the right to vote not-guilty for any reason whatsoever, including their disagreement with the law. The problem is that you're not allowed to mention that in court. You're not allowed to say much of anything, actually. With my case, I insisted that I take the case to court, and give no defense whatsoever. All I wanted to do was say the words, "I know in my heart that I have done nothing wrong," as my entire closing statement. My lawyer told me I would not be allowed to do this. Essentially, defendants are not allowed to defend themselves in court. Instead, you must play the legal games. However, I have a feeling that my lawyer was just trying to cover his own ass, not wanting to get in trouble for allowing me to be open and honest in court. What could the court do if I said something about the morality of drug laws, other than have it officially struck from the record? They couldn't easily prevent a suspect from saying such a thing to the jury. but on the other hand I've never been to court and don't really know.

If the extra jail time is not worth the knowledge that you're helping to make the world a better place, then a plea-bargain is a reasonable option. But it's usually a good idea to make your prosecutor think that you're willing to take your case to court. Don't take the first deal that your prosecutor offers. Tell your lawyer/public defender that you have moral issues with plea-bargaining, that you know you've done nothing wrong, and that drug laws need to be stopped before they destroy society. If you insist on plea-bargaining, then make sure that you drive a very hard bargain.