Editor’s note: In November 2023, voters approved Issue 2, legalizing recreational marijuana use and cultivation under certain circumstances. As of the time of this printing, the Ohio Legislature had not yet amended the state statutes to reflect necessary changes, if any.
(A) No person shall knowingly furnish a sample drug to another person.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply to manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacists, owners of pharmacies, licensed health professionals authorized to prescribe drugs, and other persons whose conduct is in accordance with R.C. Chapters 3719, 4715, 4723, 4725, 4729, 4730, 4731, and 4741.
(C) (1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of illegal dispensing of drug samples.
(2) If the drug involved in the offense is a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in Schedule I or Schedule II, with the exception of marihuana, illegal dispensing of drug samples is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(3) If the drug involved in the offense is a dangerous drug or a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in Schedule III, Schedule IV or Schedule V, or is marihuana, the penalty for the offense shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in the following division, illegal dispensing of drug samples is a misdemeanor of the second degree.
(b) If the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, illegal dispensing of drug samples is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(R.C. § 2925.36(A) - (C)) (Rev. 2019)
Statutory reference:
Felony offenses, see R.C. § 2925.36(C)(2)