Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: possession of a control substance

No, but like any other innocent accused person you would have to hire a private lawyer and fight the charge. If I were you I would do this, and when and if you get off, then sue the other person for your legal expenses.

Re: possession of a control substance

To be guilty of possession of a controlled substance, the defendant must know both that the substance is in his possession and that it is a drug. Someone who knows there is a bottle of pills in his car but believes they are aspirin has not committed a crime even if the pills are actually some sort of illegal drug.

A *very* large fraction of defendants in possession cases claim that they did not know about the drugs until after the police found them or that they thought the drugs were some sort of legal medication. Many of those denials are false, and juries often don't believe them. The burden of proof will be on the prosecution, but you should not presume that merely saying you didn't know the drugs were there is going to get you an acquittal.