2023 Texas Statutes › Health and Safety Code › Title 6 - Food, Drugs, Alcohol, and Hazardous Substances › Subtitle C - Substance Abuse Regulation and Crimes › Chapter 481 - Texas Controlled Substances Act › Subchapter D. Offenses and Penalties › Section 481.125. Offense: Possession or Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia

Sec. 481.125.  OFFENSE:  POSSESSION OR DELIVERY OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.  (a)  A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally uses or possesses with intent to use drug paraphernalia to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a controlled substance in violation of this chapter or to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter.
(b)  A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally delivers, possesses with intent to deliver, or manufactures with intent to deliver drug paraphernalia knowing that the person who receives or who is intended to receive the drug paraphernalia intends that it be used to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a controlled substance in violation of this chapter or to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter.
(c)  A person commits an offense if the person commits an offense under Subsection (b), is 18 years of age or older, and the person who receives or who is intended to receive the drug paraphernalia is younger than 18 years of age and at least three years younger than the actor.
(d)  An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class C misdemeanor.
(e)  An offense under Subsection (b) is a Class A misdemeanor, unless it is shown on the trial of a defendant that the defendant has previously been convicted under Subsection (b) or (c), in which event the offense is punishable by confinement in jail for a term of not more than one year or less than 90 days.
(f)  An offense under Subsection (c) is a state jail felony.
(g)  It is a defense to prosecution for an offense under Subsection (a) that the actor:
(1)  was the first person to request emergency medical assistance in response to the possible overdose of another person and:
(A)  made the request for medical assistance during an ongoing medical emergency;
(B)  remained on the scene until the medical assistance arrived; and
(C)  cooperated with medical assistance and law enforcement personnel; or
(2)  was the victim of a possible overdose for which emergency medical assistance was requested, by the actor or by another person, during an ongoing medical emergency.
(h)  The defense to prosecution provided by Subsection (g) is not available if:
(1)  at the time the request for emergency medical assistance was made:
(A)  a peace officer was in the process of arresting the actor or executing a search warrant describing the actor or the place from which the request for medical assistance was made; or
(B)  the actor is committing another offense, other than an offense punishable under Section 481.115(b), 481.1151(b)(1), 481.116(b), 481.1161(b)(1) or (2), 481.117(b), 481.118(b), or 481.121(b)(1) or (2), or an offense under Section 481.119(b), 483.041(a), or 485.031(a);
(2)  the actor has been previously convicted of or placed on deferred adjudication community supervision for an offense under this chapter or Chapter 483 or 485;
(3)  the actor was acquitted in a previous proceeding in which the actor successfully established the defense under that subsection or Section 481.115(g), 481.1151(c), 481.116(f), 481.1161(c), 481.117(f), 481.118(f), 481.119(c), 481.121(c), 483.041(e), or 485.031(c); or
(4)  at any time during  the 18-month period preceding the date of the commission of the instant offense, the actor requested emergency medical assistance in response to the  possible overdose of the actor or another person.
(i)  The defense to prosecution provided by Subsection (g) does not preclude the admission of evidence obtained by law enforcement resulting from the request for emergency medical assistance if that evidence pertains to an offense for which the defense described by Subsection (g) is not available.
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.  Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 2.02, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 808 (H.B. 1694), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2021.