Anyone who runs a business knows it’s not easy. You face constant pressure and challenges. You might still love it, though. Maybe you enjoy succeeding despite the odds being against you.
You must overcome obstacles in the business world sometimes, though. For instance, maybe you or an employee faces drug-related charges. That can happen, and when it does, it’s not easy figuring out the best path forward.
Before you figure out legal strategies for fighting drug trafficking charges or drug possession charges, let’s discuss how these allegations might impact your company.
Different Drug Charges
Before talking about how drug charges might impact your business going forward, let’s discuss different drug charges. If the police accuse you or an employee, maybe they caught you with a little marijuana. If so, assuming you live in a state with no legal recreational marijuana, you might face a misdemeanor possession charge.
That’s troubling, but it might not impact your life or the employee’s life much. If the police catch you or one of your workers, and you have several pounds on you, they will likely say you’re trafficking drugs.
That’s potentially much more serious. You might not get into much trouble with a tiny amount, but a large amount likely means you’re facing tougher penalties. Now, let’s get into what these charges might mean for you or a worker.
You Might Get Bad Publicity
Presumably, you have some clients or customers, no matter what products you sell or services you offer. Maybe you have some brick-and-mortar store locations, or perhaps you use an exclusively eCommerce business model. Either way, drug charges likely mean some negative publicity.
If the police catch you with a little weed, that’s one thing, but a huge drug bust involving you or an employee might get more attention. Whether you’re facing a misdemeanor possession charge or drug trafficking charges, negative publicity won’t help your company.
Maybe you won’t get such bad publicity if you’re facing minor charges. Also, if you run a weed dispensary anyway, a minor drug charge might not upset your customer base that much.
If you run a company with a squeaky-clean image, though, drug charges might do more harm. If you say you’re big on family values, but then you face a drug charge, that goes against the identity you’re promoting. You may lose some business accordingly.
You May Need New Employees
You might also have an employee who faces some drug charges. Maybe it’s a misdemeanor. If so, they might have a court appearance and pay a small fine. They may not even miss any work. If you find out, you probably won’t fire them unless you have strict conduct policies.
If your worker faces more serious drug charges, such as felony possession, because of the amount the police find, they might face a trial and some jail time. If so, then presumably, you must hire a replacement worker. You can’t leave that position open while your employee spends years in jail.
Maybe you have multiple workers who the police caught with drugs simultaneously. If so, you must fill several positions. You must do some hiring quickly, so you should start scouring Monster, Indeed, and other job posting sites. You should promptly find some suitable replacement workers.
You Might Lose Respect
Maybe you face some drug charges, and you’re not getting jail time, but you still receive a criminal conviction. Now, that’s on your record, and you probably can’t keep that secret.
You might feel embarrassed or ashamed. Maybe you don’t feel like you did anything wrong, and you’re defiant. You may also feel contrite. Either way, your workers might hear about it and judge you.
Your clients or customers may hear about it as well. They might not frequent your store anymore. Again, the image you’re conveying probably matters in this instance.
You May Have a Hard Time Retaining Clients
Maybe you have a few principal clients and not many anonymous ones who buy things via your website. If so, then your reputation matters much more.
Maybe you need your integrity intact, and now, you don’t have that. Perhaps a former client who gave you their business might leave. They may feel you showed poor judgment, and now, they want someone who doesn’t have that blemish on their record.
You must face these situations sometimes in the business world. Hopefully, you will figure out how to can get past this rough patch without much difficulty.
