A drug crime is a criminal charge associated with the use of illegal drugs or the misuse of legal drugs. Drug crimes can include possession of an illegal substance, improperly distributing a controlled substance, or intending to sell an illegal substance.
A drug can be any chemical substance that affects the function of living things and/or the organisms living within living things. In the U.S. drugs are divided into schedules to classify their danger. Even low level drugs with acknowledged medical uses, such as schedule III drugs, can be illegal if used improperly or without a prescription.
Schedule II drugs have a high potential for misuse and can form a physical or psychological dependency if used. Schedule II drugs include:
Schedule I drugs are considered to have a high potential for misuse, no accepted medical benefits, and high likelihood of danger. Schedule I drugs include:
Possession or use of a schedule I or II drug can often result in criminal charges being filed.
A drug test is an examination that attempts to determine whether the subject has ingested or used certain substances in the recent past. Drug tests can be performed on a subject’s hair, blood, urine, or spit.
Different drug tests look for different substances. For example, drug panels used to examine olympic athletes mostly look for steroids or performance enhancers. A standard 10-panel drug test that a place of employment may order will likely include tests for the five most commonly abused prescription drugs, including opioids, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines, as well as the five most commonly used illicit street drugs including marijuana, methamphetamine, and PCP. These tests may also detect medication that an employee is legally using such as Ritalin or Adderall.
