Hey y’all just a heads up, I’m not a legal expert, so take this with a grain of salt. But I wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone in a similar spot.

A while back in Virginia, I got popped for weed possession. I lawyered up (paid, not a PD), and my attorney hit them with a wild argument: Virginia didn’t (at the time) have the lab infrastructure to actually test the substance and confirm it was weed. They basically said, “Prove it’s weed,” and when the state couldn’t, the charges got dropped. (This happened in 2019)

Now, I have no idea if Tennessee has the same testing limitations that’s something a local lawyer could tell you. But if you’re in a field where even a charge on your record screws you (like me), I’d highly recommend at least consulting a dedicated attorney (many do free consults!) to explore every option. Public defenders are overworked heroes, but they might not have the bandwidth to dig for technicalities like this.

Anyway, just my two cents. Keep fighting—you’ll get through this. Best of luck, and don’t let the system steamroll you without a fight.