Legal Penalties for Sharing or Selling Prescription Drugs in Indiana
Many people know someone who had plenty of leftover painkillers after their surgery, or someone who didn’t take all their medication after their wisdom teeth removal. They might consider sharing these with someone struggling with pain, or they might try to sell them to make a little extra cash. However, this is breaking the law in Indiana.
The legal penalties for sharing or selling prescription drugs in Indiana are steep. If you’ve been caught trying to sell pills or sharing them with someone, you’ll need a lawyer from the Rowdy G. Williams Law Firm to help get your case dismissed.
The penalties for sharing or selling prescription drugs can be high. So, before you sell those extra painkillers, see the penalties below.
Felony Charges for Controlled Substances
While we may use many substances legally, there’s almost always a potential for abuse, and steps have been made to prevent that. When dealing with drugs in any schedule, your doctor and pharmacist will have specific rules for prescribing and filling these medications.
These steps are meant to limit the amount of abuse, and the penalty for selling these prescription drugs may be a felony charge. This covers Schedule I, II, and III controlled substances, which includes drugs with a high chance for dependence, like OxyContin, Ritalin, Vicodin, and steroids.
Even Schedule IV drugs may leave you with a misdemeanor charge. Drugs like Ambien, Xanax, and Valium could get you a Class A misdemeanor. This is the highest misdemeanor charge, and any additional factors could still leave you with a felony charge.
Penalties for Selling Prescription Drugs
If you’ve been arrested for selling your prescription drugs, you might be thinking that the punishment couldn’t be too serious for a few pills. Unfortunately, without a strong defense, you could suffer serious consequences for your actions.
For example, if you’re charged with a Level 6 felony, you could have up to $10,000 in fines and up to two-and-a-half years in prison, assuming there were no other factors that brought your case to a Level 5 felony or higher.
But, that doesn’t include the social effects, either. If you accept the charges or don’t have the defense you need, you’ll be considered a felon afterward. This means fewer job opportunities, fewer housing opportunities, and a chance that you’ll struggle to get or keep custody of your children. If you’re concerned about the costs of a felony charge, hang on to your medication or dispose of it safely.
Seek Legal Help for Charges of Selling Prescription Drugs
Unfortunately, you may have been accused of selling controlled medication, and now you’re going to court for it. This is a serious offense, but with the right legal defense, you can get your penalties reduced or dismissed entirely.
The legal penalties for sharing or selling prescription drugs in Indiana are serious, so get help to avoid a conviction. A felony conviction can haunt you and your family, but our lawyers at Rowdy G. Williams Law Firm can help. To talk with an Indiana drug attorney, give us a call at 1-812-232-7400 or complete the online form below.
