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, a simulated controlled substance, or an imitation 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, a simulated controlled substance, or an imitation controlled substance.

 a. Violation of this subsection, with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, simulated controlled substances, or imitation controlled substances, is a class “B” felony, and notwithstanding section 902.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, 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 hundred grams 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 divisions (a) through (c).
 (3) More than two hundred 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 divisions (a) and (b).
 (8) More than ten kilograms of a mixture or substance containing any detectable amount of those substances identified in section 124.204, subsection 9.
 b. Violation of this subsection with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, simulated controlled substances, or imitation controlled substances is a class “B” felony, and in addition to the provisions of section 902.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars nor more than one hundred thousand dollars:

 (1) More than five grams but not more than one hundred grams 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 divisions (a) through (c).
 (3) More than forty grams but not more than two hundred 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.
 (9) More than five kilograms but not more than ten kilograms of a mixture or substance containing any detectable amount of those substances identified in section 124.204, subsection 9.
 c. Violation of this subsection with respect to the following controlled substances, counterfeit substances, simulated controlled substances, or imitation controlled substances is a class “C” felony, and in addition to the provisions of section 902.9, subsection 1, paragraph “d”, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars nor more than fifty thousand dollars:

 (1) Five 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 divisions (a) through (c).
 (3) Forty 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) Five kilograms or less of a mixture or substance containing any detectable amount of those substances identified in section 124.204, subsection 9.
 (9) Any other controlled substance, counterfeit substance, simulated controlled substance, or imitation controlled substance classified in schedule I, II, or III, except as provided in paragraph “d”.
 d. Violation of this subsection, with respect to any other controlled substances, counterfeit substances, simulated controlled substances, or imitation 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.

Attorney's Note

Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class B felonyup to 25 years
Class C felonyup to 10 yearsbetween $1,370 and $13,660
Class D felonyup to 5 yearsbetween $1,025 and $10,245
Aggravated misdemeanorup to 2 yearsbetween $855 and $8,540
Serious misdemeanorup to 1 yearbetween $430 and $2,560
For details, see Iowa Code902.9 and Iowa Code§ 903.1

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 124.401

  • Administer: means the direct application of a controlled substance, whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means, to the body of a patient or research subject by:
  • Controlled substance: means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor in schedules I through V of subchapter II of this chapter. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Counterfeit substance: means a controlled substance which, or the container or labeling of which, without authorization, bears the trademark, trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, number or device, or any likeness thereof, of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser other than the person who in fact manufactured, distributed, or dispensed the substance. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • delivery: means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer from one person to another of a controlled substance, whether or not there is an agency relationship. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Department: means the department of public safety of the state of Iowa. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Dispense: means to deliver a controlled substance to an ultimate user or research subject by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner, including the prescribing, administering, packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for that delivery. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Distribute: means to deliver other than by administering or dispensing a controlled substance. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Drug: means :
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Imitation controlled substance: means a substance which is not a controlled substance but which by color, shape, size, markings, and other aspects of dosage unit appearance, and packaging or other factors, appears to be or resembles a controlled substance. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • License: means a license issued by the state under this chapter to a hearing aid specialist. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Manufacture: means the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of a controlled substance, either directly or by extraction from substances of natural origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substance or labeling or relabeling of its container, except that this term does not include the preparation, compounding, packaging, or labeling of a controlled substance:
  • Marijuana: means all parts of the plants of the genus Cannabis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin, including tetrahydrocannabinols. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Person: means individual, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • Practitioner: means either:
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • sell: means a transfer of title or of the right to use by lease, bailment, or any other means, but excludes a wholesale transaction with a distributor or hearing aid specialist, and excludes the temporary, charitable loan or educational loan of a hearing aid without remuneration. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Simulated controlled substance: means a substance which is not a controlled substance but which is expressly represented to be a controlled substance, or a substance which is not a controlled substance but which is impliedly represented to be a controlled substance and which because of its nature, packaging, or appearance would lead a reasonable person to believe it to be a controlled substance. See Iowa Code 124.101
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any state, district, commonwealth, territory, insular possession, and any area subject to the legal authority of the United States of America. See Iowa Code 124.101
 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, simulated controlled substances, or imitation 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 phosphorus.
 f. Lithium.
 g. Iodine.
 h. Thionyl chloride.
 i. Chloroform.
 j. Palladium.
 k. Perchloric acid.
 l. Tetrahydrofuran.
 m. Ammonium chloride.
 n. Magnesium sulfate.
 o. Sodium hydroxide.
 p. Ammonia nitrate.
 q. Ammonia sulfate.
 r. Light or medium petroleum distillates.
 5. a. 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 124B or 453B, or chapter 124A as it existed prior to July 1, 2017, 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 124B or 453B, or chapter 124A as it existed prior to July 1, 2017, is guilty of a class “D” felony.

 b. 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.
 c. A person may knowingly or intentionally recommend, possess, use, dispense, deliver, transport, or administer cannabidiol if the recommendation, possession, use, dispensing, delivery, transporting, or administering is in accordance with the provisions of chapter 124E. For purposes of this paragraph, “cannabidiol” means the same as defined in section 124E.2.
 d. 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.
 e. 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.
 f. 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.
 6. Notwithstanding any other provision in this section to the contrary, a person may produce, possess, use, harvest, handle, manufacture, market, transport, deliver, or distribute any of the following:

 a. Hemp that is hemp seed delivered for planting at a licensed crop site, or hemp that is or was produced at the site, by a person operating under a hemp license issued by the department of agriculture and land stewardship in accordance with the provisions of chapter 204.
 b. Hemp that was produced in another state in accordance with the federal hemp law and other applicable law.
 c. A hemp product as provided in chapter 204.