Heroin is a controlled substance in the United States, the United Kingdom and in Canada.
Heroin is a Schedule 1 drug under the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. It shares this classification with mescaline, marijuana, peyote (magic mushrooms) and morphine.
A Schedule 1 designation indicates that the drug or substance has:
It is a criminal offense to possess, distribute or manufacture heroin in the United States. The penalties the court will impose depend on the amount of the drug involved.
In the UK, smack is covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This law was passed to ban the use of controlled substances for non-medical purposes. Under the statue, police have the power to apprehend, search and detain people on a reasonable suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.
Heroin is considered a Schedule A drug under the Act. This is the most serious classification. Offenses under the Misuse of Drugs Act that involve Schedule A drugs include the following:
A conviction for possession of a controlled drug carries a penalty of seven years in prison and an unlimited fine. Individuals convicted of supplying drugs may be sent to prison for life, as well as be subject to an unlimited fine.
Under Canadian law, controlled substances are regulated by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Heroin is considered a Schedule I drug, along with morphine, codeine, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Possession of heroin is a criminal offense. The charge may be dealt with as a summary offense, which is considered less serious and carries a lesser penalty, or an indictable offense.
Trafficking is treated as a serious criminal offense under the Act. The penalty for this indictable offense is life in prison. The same penalty applies on conviction for importing or exporting a Schedule I drug.
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