Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated June 20, 2016
Heroin can evoke images of addicted artists and musical geniuses, or of gritty street drug trafficking. Or maybe you've had a more personal experience. And while social attitudes and media depictions may seem more relaxed when it comes to some recreational drug use, heroin possession and sale remains illegal both nationwide and in the Hawkeye State. This is an introduction to heroin laws in Iowa.
Penalties and particulars of state drug laws vary depending on where you live and your specific circumstances. For example, Iowa penalties for heroin sale depend on the amount, the location, and any prior criminal history. The chart below lists the details of Iowa's heroin statutes.
Code Section |
Iowa Code 124, et seq.: Controlled Substances |
Possession |
- |
Sale |
Less than 100 g.: Class C felony, $1000 to $50,000; 100g. to 1 kg.: Class B felony, $5000 to $100,000; Over 1 kg.: Class B felony, up to 50 yrs. and $1,000,000; Subsequent offense: triple penalties; More severe penalties for distribution to minors or 3 yrs. younger; An adult distributing to a minor: Class B felony, min. confinement of five ("5") years, if within 1,000 ft. of public/private school property or recreation area, school bus, min. confinement of 10 yrs. |
Trafficking |
- |
While some drugs, most notably marijuana, have been cleared for recreational use in other states, heroin remains a Schedule I drug and is therefore illegal to sell or possess at either the state or federal level. State and federal drug statutes criminalize heroin possession, manufacturing and cultivation, and trafficking and distribution, and heroin convictions can carry severe penalties, especially for dealing.
As shown above, selling heroin in Iowa could get you up to 50 years in prison and $1,000,000 in fines. While some penalties can be extreme, some jurisdictions defer drug crimes to specialized "drug courts" give first- and second-time drug crime defendants the opportunity to attend treatment programs rather than face incarceration.
Both drug charges and drug addiction are serious matters. If you or someone you know might have a substance abuse problem, Iowa's Department of Public Health has online and in-person resources that may be able to help. You can find additional articles and resources on this topic in FindLaw's section on Drug Charges. You can also consult with an Iowa drug crime attorney in your area if you would like legal advice regarding a drug issue.
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