The cops must send the drugs into the lab, and wait for the results, before they charge you. They do this because they need to know the exact drug and amount of that drug before they can charge you.
The main reason for waiting on the lab results is to avoid any speedy trial issues. The state only has a certain amount of time to bring a case to trial. They don’t want to waste any of that speedy trial time waiting on the lab results.
In some big cities, it can take over a year to get lab results back. Meanwhile, the state only has 270 days to bring someone to trial on a felony charge. If they charged you immediately, then they would have to dismiss the case because speedy trial time would have expired in that scenario.
If you have been caught with drugs, it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible. An attorney can work with the prosecutor to make sure you don’t receive a warrant once you are finally charged. Sometimes, the court / prosecutor doesn’t have your correct address. In this case, they may decide to issue a warrant instead of a summons.
If you have been caught with drugs, call Attorney Andy Meis so he can assess your situation.