(A) No person shall knowingly obtain, possess, or use a controlled substance or a controlled substance analog.
(B) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Manufacturers, licensed health professionals authorized to prescribe drugs, pharmacists, owners of pharmacies, and other persons whose conduct is in accordance with R.C. Chapters 3719, 4715, 4723, 4729, 4730, 4731, and 4741.
(2) If the offense involves an anabolic steroid, any person who is conducting or participating in a research project involving the use of an anabolic steroid if the project has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(3) Any person who sells, offers for sale, prescribes, dispenses, or administers for livestock or other nonhuman species an anabolic steroid that is expressly intended for administration through implants to livestock or other nonhuman species and approved for that purpose under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and is sold, offered for sale, prescribed, dispensed, or administered for that purpose in accordance with that Act.
(4) Any person who obtained the controlled substance pursuant to a prescription issued by a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs if the prescription was issued for a legitimate medical purpose and not altered, forged, or obtained through deception or commission of a theft offense. As used in this division (B)(1)(d), "deception" and "theft offense" have the same meanings as in R.C. § 2913.01.
(C) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of one of the following:
(1) If the drug involved in the violation is a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in Schedule I or Schedule II, with the exception of marihuana or hashish, whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(2) If the drug involved in the violation is a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in Schedule III, Schedule IV, or Schedule V, whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of possession of drugs. The penalty for the offense shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2)(b) of this section, possession of drugs is a misdemeanor of the first degree or, if the offender previously has been convicted of a drug abuse offense, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(b) If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds the bulk amount, possession of drugs is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(3) If the drug involved in the violation is marihuana or a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance containing marihuana other than hashish, whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of possession of marihuana. The penalty for the offense shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(3)(b) or (C)(3)(c) of this section, possession of marihuana is a minor misdemeanor.
(b) If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds 100 grams but is less than 200 grams, possession of marihuana is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(c) If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds 200 grams, possession of marihuana is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(4) If the drug involved in the violation is hashish or a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance containing hashish, whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of possession of hashish. The penalty for the offense shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(4)(b) or (C)(4)(c) of this section, possession of hashish is a minor misdemeanor.
(b) If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds five grams but is less than ten grams of hashish in a solid form or equals or exceeds one gram but is less than two grams of hashish in a liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form, possession of hashish is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(c) If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds ten grams of hashish in a solid form or equals or exceeds two grams of hashish in a liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form, possession of hashish is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(5) If the drug involved in the violation is a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance that is a combination of a fentanyl-related compound and marihuana, one of the following applies:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(5)(b) of this section, the offender is guilty of possession of marihuana and shall be punished as provided in division (C)(3) of this section. Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(5)(b) of this section, the offender is not guilty of possession of a fentanyl-related compound under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11) and shall not be charged with, convicted of, or punished under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11) for possession of a fentanyl-related compound.
(b) If the offender knows or has reason to know that the compound, mixture, preparation, or substance that is the drug involved contains a fentanyl-related compound, the offender is guilty of possession of a fentanyl-related compound and shall be punished under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11).
(6) If the drug involved in the violation is a compound, mixture, preparation, or substance that is a combination of a fentanyl-related compound and any Schedule III, Schedule IV, or Schedule V controlled substance that is not a fentanyl-related compound, one of the following applies:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(6)(b) of this section, the offender is guilty of possession of drugs and shall be punished as provided in division (C)(2) of this section. Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(6)(b) of this section, the offender is not guilty of possession of a fentanyl-related compound under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11) and shall not be charged with, convicted of, or punished under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11) for possession of a fentanyl-related compound.
(b) If the offender knows or has reason to know that the compound, mixture, preparation, or substance that is the drug involved contains a fentanyl-related compound, the offender is guilty of possession of a fentanyl-related compound and shall be punished under R.C. § 2925.11(C)(11).
(D) Arrest or conviction for a minor misdemeanor violation of this section does not constitute a criminal record and need not be reported y the person so arrested or convicted in response to any inquiries about the person’s criminal record, including any inquiries contained in any application for employment, license, or other right or privilege, or made in connection with the person’s appearance as a witness.
(E) (1) In addition to any prison term or jail term authorized or required by division (C) of this section and R.C. §§ 2929.13, 2929.14, 2929.22, 2929.24, and 2929.25, or any substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, and in addition to any other sanction that is imposed for the offense under this section, R.C. §§ 2929.11 through 2929.18, or R.C. §§ 2929.21 through 2929.28, or any substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, the court that sentences an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section may suspend the offender's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit for not more than five years. However, if the offender pleaded guilty to or was convicted of a violation of R.C. § 4511.19 or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance or the law of another state or the United States arising out of the same set of circumstances as the violation, the court shall suspend the offender's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit for not more than five years.
(2) If the offender is a professionally licensed person, in addition to any other sanction imposed for a violation of this section, the court immediately shall comply with R.C. § 2925.38.
(F) (1) Any offender who received a mandatory suspension of the offender's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit under this section prior to September 13, 2016 may file a motion with the sentencing court requesting the termination of the suspension. However, an offender who pleaded guilty to or was convicted of a violation of R.C. § 4511.19 or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance or law of another state or the United States that arose out of the same set of circumstances as the violation for which the offender's license or permit was suspended under this section shall not file such a motion.
(2) Upon the filing of a motion under division (F) of this section, the sentencing court, in its discretion, may terminate the suspension.
(R.C. § 2925.11)
Statutory reference:
Felony drug possession offenses, see R.C. § 2925.11(C)