124.401 Prohibited acts – manufacturers – possessors – counterfeit substances – simulated controlled substances – penalties.
1. Except as authorized by this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to manufacture, deliver, or possess with the intent to manufacture or deliver, a controlled substance, a counterfeit substance, or a simulated controlled substance, or to act with, enter into a common scheme or design with, or conspire with one or more other persons to manufacture, deliver, or possess with the intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, a counterfeit substance, or a simulated controlled substance.
a. Violation of this subsection, with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, or simulated controlled substances is a class “B” felony, and notwithstanding section 902.9 , subsection 2, shall be punished by confinement for no more than fifty years and a fine of not more than one million dollars:
(1) More than one kilogram of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin.
(2) More than five hundred grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of any of the following:
(a) Coca leaves, except coca leaves and extracts of coca leaves from which cocaine, ecgonine, and derivatives of ecgonine and their salts have been removed.
(b) Cocaine, its salts, optical and geometric isomers, or salts of isomers.
(c) Ecgonine, its derivatives, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
(d) Any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of any of the substances referred to in subparagraph subdivisions (a) through (c).
(3) More than fifty grams of a mixture or substance described in subparagraph (2) which contains cocaine base.
(4) More than one hundred grams of phencyclidine (PCP) or one kilogram or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine (PCP).
(5) More than ten grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
(6) More than one thousand kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana.
(7) More than five kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of any of the following:
(a) Methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
(b) Amphetamine, its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers.
(c) Any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of any of the substances referred to in subparagraph subdivisions (a) and (b).
b. Violation of this subsection with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, or simulated controlled substances is a class “B” felony, and in addition to the provisions of section 902.9 , subsection 2, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars nor more than one hundred thousand dollars:
(1) More than one hundred grams but not more than one kilogram of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin.
(2) More than one hundred grams but not more than five hundred grams of any of the following:
(a) Coca leaves, except coca leaves and extracts of coca leaves from which cocaine, ecgonine, and derivatives of ecgonine and their salts have been removed.
(b) Cocaine, its salts, optical and geometric isomers, or salts of isomers.
(c) Ecgonine, its derivatives, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
(d) Any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of any of the substances referred to in subparagraph subdivisions (a) through (c).
(3) More than ten grams but not more than fifty grams of a mixture or substance described in subparagraph (2) which contains cocaine base.
(4) More than ten grams but not more than one hundred grams of phencyclidine (PCP) or more than one hundred grams but not more than one kilogram of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine (PCP).
(5) Not more than ten grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
(6) More than one hundred kilograms but not more than one thousand kilograms of marijuana.
(7) More than five grams but not more than five kilograms of methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or analogs of methamphetamine, or any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity or detectable amount of methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or analogs of methamphetamine.
(8) More than five grams but not more than five kilograms of amphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity or detectable amount of amphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
c. Violation of this subsection with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, or simulated controlled substances is a class “C” felony, and in addition to the provisions of section 902.9 , subsection 4, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars nor more than fifty thousand dollars:
(1) One hundred grams or less of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin.
(2) One hundred grams or less of any of the following:
(a) Coca leaves, except coca leaves and extracts of coca leaves from which cocaine, ecgonine, and derivatives of ecgonine and their salts have been removed.
(b) Cocaine, its salts, optical and geometric isomers, or salts of isomers.
(c) Ecgonine, its derivatives, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
(d) Any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of any of the substances referred to in subparagraph subdivisions (a) through (c).
(3) Ten grams or less of a mixture or substance described in subparagraph (2) which contains cocaine base.
(4) Ten grams or less of phencyclidine (PCP) or one hundred grams or less of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine (PCP).
(5) More than fifty kilograms but not more than one hundred kilograms of marijuana.
(6) Five grams or less of methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or analogs of methamphetamine, or any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity or detectable amount of methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or analogs of methamphetamine.
(7) Five grams or less of amphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity or detectable amount of amphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
(8) Any other controlled substance, counterfeit substance, or simulated controlled substance classified in schedule I, II, or III.
d. Violation of this subsection, with respect to any other controlled substances, counterfeit substances, or simulated controlled substances classified in schedule IV or V is an aggravated misdemeanor. However, violation of this subsection involving fifty kilograms or less of marijuana or involving flunitrazepam is a class “D” felony.
e. A person in the immediate possession or control of a firearm while participating in a violation of this subsection shall be sentenced to two times the term otherwise imposed by law, and no such judgment, sentence, or part thereof shall be deferred or suspended.
f. A person in the immediate possession or control of an offensive weapon, as defined in section 724.1 , while participating in a violation of this subsection, shall be sentenced to three times the term otherwise imposed by law, and no such judgment, sentence, or part thereof shall be deferred or suspended.
2. If the same person commits two or more acts which are in violation of subsection 1 and the acts occur in approximately the same location or time period so that the acts can be attributed to a single scheme, plan, or conspiracy, the acts may be considered a single violation and the weight of the controlled substances, counterfeit substances, or simulated controlled substances involved may be combined for purposes of charging the offender.
3. It is unlawful for any person to sell, distribute, or make available any product containing ephedrine, its salts, optical isomers, salts of optical isomers, or analogs of ephedrine, or pseudoephedrine, its salts, optical isomers, salts of optical isomers, or analogs of pseudoephedrine, if the person knows, or should know, that the product may be used as a precursor to any illegal substance or an intermediary to any controlled substance. A person who violates this subsection commits a serious misdemeanor.
4. A person who possesses any product containing any of the following commits a class “D” felony, if the person possesses with the intent that the product be used to manufacture any controlled substance:
a. Ephedrine, its salts, optical isomers, salts of optical isomers, or analogs of ephedrine.
b. Pseudoephedrine, its salts, optical isomers, salts of optical isomers, or analogs of pseudoephedrine.
c. Ethyl ether.
d. Anhydrous ammonia.
e. Red phosphorous.
f. Lithium.
g. Iodine.
h. Thionyl chloride.
i. Chloroform.
j. Palladium.
k. Perchloric acid.
l. Tetrahydrofuran.
m. Ammonium chloride.
n. Magnesium sulfate.
5. It is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess a controlled substance unless such substance was obtained directly from, or pursuant to, a valid prescription or order of a practitioner while acting in the course of the practitioner’s professional practice, or except as otherwise authorized by this chapter. Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a serious misdemeanor for a first offense. A person who commits a violation of this subsection and who has previously been convicted of violating this chapter or chapter 124A , 124B , or 453B is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. A person who commits a violation of this subsection and has previously been convicted two or more times of violating this chapter or chapter 124A , 124B , or 453B is guilty of a class “D” felony.
If the controlled substance is marijuana, the punishment shall be by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment for a first offense. If the controlled substance is marijuana and the person has been previously convicted of a violation of this subsection in which the controlled substance was marijuana, the punishment shall be as provided in section 903.1 , subsection 1, paragraph “b” . If the controlled substance is marijuana and the person has been previously convicted two or more times of a violation of this subsection in which the controlled substance was marijuana, the person is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor.
All or any part of a sentence imposed pursuant to this subsection may be suspended and the person placed upon probation upon such terms and conditions as the court may impose including the active participation by such person in a drug treatment, rehabilitation or education program approved by the court.
If a person commits a violation of this subsection, the court shall order the person to serve a term of imprisonment of not less than forty-eight hours. Any sentence imposed may be suspended, and the court shall place the person on probation upon such terms and conditions as the court may impose. If the person is not sentenced to confinement under the custody of the director of the department of corrections, the terms and conditions of probation shall require submission to random drug testing. If the person fails a drug test, the court may transfer the person’s placement to any appropriate placement permissible under the court order.
If the controlled substance is amphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers, or methamphetamine, its salts, isomers, or salts of its isomers, the court shall order the person to serve a term of imprisonment of not less than forty-eight hours. Any sentence imposed may be suspended, and the court shall place the person on probation upon such terms and conditions as the court may impose. The court may place the person on intensive probation. However, the terms and conditions of probation shall require submission to random drug testing. If the person fails a drug test, the court may transfer the person’s placement to any appropriate placement permissible under the court order.
[C51, §2728; R60, §4374; C73, §4038; C97, §2593, 5003; S13, §2593, 2596-a; C24, 27, 31, 35, §3152, 3168, 3169; C39, § 3169.02, 3169.21; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, §204.2, 204.22; C66, §204.2, 204.20; C71, §204.2, 204.20, 204A.3, 204A.10; C73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §204.401; 82 Acts, ch 1147, §2]
84 Acts, ch 1013, §13, 14; 84 Acts, ch 1105, §2, 3; 89 Acts, ch 225, §11; 90 Acts, ch 1233, §7
C93, §124.401
94 Acts, ch 1107, §7 ; 96 Acts, ch 1164, §1 – 4 ; 97 Acts, ch 122, §1 – 3 ; 98 Acts, ch 1138, §24 , 25 ; 99 Acts, ch 12, §2 , 3 ; 99 Acts, ch 65, §1 ; 2000 Acts, ch 1144, §1 ; 2000 Acts, ch 1201, §4 ; 2003 Acts, ch 16, §1 ; 2003 Acts, ch 156, §1 – 7 ; 2004 Acts, ch 1057, §1 ; 2004 Acts, ch 1086, §32 ; 2006 Acts, ch 1030, §12 ; 2007 Acts, ch 8, §18 ; 2007 Acts, ch 126, §24
See § 124B.9
See Code editor’s note to §29A.28
Subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph subdivisions (a) – (c) amended
Obviously this is a very long and complicated statute. Almost all drug charges, from “simple possession” of marijuana, to distribution of harder drugs, are covered under this section.