There’s a common misconception that those arrested for drug crimes in Texas are bad actors. Particularly when someone faces accusations of distribution or trafficking drugs, the assumption is often that they do not care about the safety and well-being of others and may put money ahead of complying with the law.
Despite what people often believe about those facing drug charges, people can break the law without any intent to harm others or profit from illegal activity. In fact, a particular decision that may initially seem like a form of kindness could lead to someone’s prosecution with very serious Texas drug charges.
How might someone hoping to do a kind act for another person put themselves at risk of Texas drug charges?
Transferring medication is a crime
What people understand about property rights and drug laws can sometimes lead to confusion about what puts them at risk of criminal prosecution. People assume that once they own something, they have total control over what happens to that resource in the future.
Someone who buys a piece of furniture, for example, could resell it to another person, modify it for personal use, give it away or even set it on fire and upload the video of the conflagration to social media. The idea that someone can do whatever they want with their personal property might lead to someone making a major mistake when they have unused prescription medication.
Whether someone needed prescription muscle relaxants after a car crash or pain relievers after surgery, they may not use all of the medication that they received from the pharmacy. If a friend, family member, coworker or neighbor experiences a similar medical issue in the future, the person with leftover medication may generously offer their pills to the person they know. As many as 22.9% of people self-report sharing their medications with others. They think of this as a way to save the other person money and to put otherwise wasted resources to good use. Unfortunately, it is illegal to transfer controlled substances to another person without medical licensing.
Those who get caught in the act of transferring their unused medication to someone else might face criminal charges. Additionally, the state could prosecute someone who supplied medication to an individual who went on to overdose or cause an impaired driving collision. Realizing that a seemingly kind act might put someone at risk of criminal charges could help people make better choices or plan for the best way to respond to a Texas drug charge.