Drug Distribution Charges and Sharing Prescription Drugs

 Posted on January 22, 2025 in Drug Crimes

The term "drug distributors" might sound like it should apply to people who are moving bulk quantities of street drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine. However, in Texas, anyone who provides just a small quantity of a controlled substance to another person even once can be prosecuted for drug distribution. This includes sharing a medication that was prescribed to you with another person. Drug distribution is a felony offense that can carry years of prison time. A lot of people who are charged with this offense for sharing a prescription drug are understandably surprised at the harshness of the charges. If you are being charged with drug distribution for sharing a prescription drug, you need an experienced Houston, TX drug crimes lawyer. An attorney may be able to negotiate a reduction in charges.

Sharing Prescribed Controlled Substances is Distribution

It is legal for you to possess and use your own prescribed medications. However, you are the only person permitted to take the medication. However, the second you share even a single pill with another person, you are opening yourself up to a distribution charge.

People often feel pressured to share prescription medications with others who claim to need the medication. For example, if you have prescription painkillers left over from a surgery, a friend who was underprescribed pain medication after his own surgery may ask you to share yours.

Another common situation is medication sharing between people who use the same or similar medications. If a friend takes the same medication you do, giving her one of your pills because she forgot hers one day may seem perfectly harmless, but it would be illegal. Some very common medications, such as Gabapentin, are treated as controlled substances in Texas. If senior living communities had much of a police presence, it is quite likely that a fair number of arrests could be made due to common medications being shared.

Prescription Drug Use and DWIs

Distribution is not the only way a prescription medication can get you into legal trouble. Driving while under the influence of a prescription medication can lead to DWI charges. You are responsible for making sure that you will not drive after taking a prescription medication. Some prescription medications have reportedly caused people to drive in their sleep, and some medications can cause a person to forget that he or she is impaired and should not drive. Prescription drug DWIs can become legally complex cases for a number of reasons, such as difficulty in measuring a person’s objective level of intoxication.

Contact a Houston, TX Drug Crimes Attorney 

Murphy & McKinney Law Firm, P.C. is widely recognized as one of the top law firms in the Houston area. Experienced Harris County, TX drug crimes attorney Doug Murphy will do all he can to mitigate the seriousness of your charges. Contact us at 713-229-8333 for a complimentary consultation.