What is the punishment for smoking marijuana and drinking for a minor in USA?

Question

a 16 year old was caught doing that, and i wonder what his punishment will be

Answer 1

in the land of the free it's probably 3 months hard labour, a criminal record and increased driving insurance for life, no job etc etc a ruined life. But the kid can always move to the UK where minors are known to down up to 25 pints every week-end without any repercussions and smoking pot is also tolerated.

Answer 2

it depends on what he was doing at the time.  I got caught drinking at 17 and the DA allowed me to take it off my record completely if i attended a two day rehabilitation course.

A friend of mine got caught with weed (1st offense) and was sentenced to 1 year probation in which the court could order a drug test at any time, completely at random.

These were both in Louisiana, and neither of them involved the other substance so i can't tell you what will happen for sure.

Here's the deal though, no DA WANTs to send a kid to jail, its better that kid is in school (prison enough).  Most likely he'll get probation, or a two-three day course like me... prison is usually a last resort.

Answer 3

Ummm, you rwalize that America is very large, with different states having thei own laws, right?

Okay, for public smoking of marihuana in NYS, the top count is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in county jail or 1 year of probation.

If you've never been arrested before, you would have the right to a "Marihuna ACD" - your case is kept open for a year and dismissed afterwards if he stays clean.  If he's been arrested before, the prsecutor may insist that he plea guilty to a "violation" an offense not quite a crime.  Most violations are punishable by 15 days jail, but are generally pleaded out to no jail (time served, a conditional discharge to do community service and stay out of trouble).  Normally, the "violation" is "Disorderly Conduct", an offense that basically covers everything.  If this is not his 2nd arrest, the plea may be to Unlawful Possession of Marihuna - still a violation, but one that keeps a MACD out of his reach.  Th next arrest will have the DA looking for a misdemeanor offense, but not necessarily jail.

Answer 4

it depends on the officer and on what the minor was doing when he or she was caught. if they were driving, you can count on a harsh punishment, including but not limitted to, revocation of drivers license, time in juvenile hall, community service, and probation with random drug tests.

however if it was at a house party or in a park or parking lot, little more than confiscation of materials, a small fine, and or probation.

Answer 5

I have a friend who was picked up by the police walking down the street stoned and drunk. He now has a curfew at 6pm (unless he works later, but then only his parents can pick him up and he must go straight home) and he is on probation for a year. So instead of marijuana, he just uses cocaine now because it will leave his system in a few days.

Multiple time offenders get harsher punishments though.