Ohio Code 2925.04 – Illegal manufacture of drugs – illegal cultivation of marihuana – methamphetamine offenses
(A) No person shall knowingly cultivate marihuana or knowingly manufacture or otherwise engage in any part of the production of a controlled substance.
Attorney's Note
Under the Ohio Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Felony of the first degree | 3 years or more | up to $20,000 |
| Felony of the second degree | 2 years or more | up to $15,000 |
| Felony of the third degree | 9 months to 5 years | up to $10,000 |
| Felony of the fourth degree | 6 to 18 months | up to $5,000 |
| Felony of the fifth degree | 6 to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
| Misdemeanor of the third degree | up to 60 days | up to $500 |
| Misdemeanor of the fourth degree | up to 30 days | up to $250 |
| Minor misdemeanor | up to $150 |
Terms Used In Ohio Code 2925.04
- Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Cultivate: includes planting, watering, fertilizing, or tilling. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- First degree felony mandatory prison term: means one of the definite prison terms prescribed in division (A)(1)(b) of section 2929. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Juvenile: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Manufacture: means to plant, cultivate, harvest, process, make, prepare, or otherwise engage in any part of the production of a drug, by propagation, extraction, chemical synthesis, or compounding, or any combination of the same, and includes packaging, repackaging, labeling, and other activities incident to production. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Maximum first degree felony mandatory prison term: means the maximum definite prison term prescribed in division (A)(1)(b) of section 2929. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Maximum second degree felony mandatory prison term: means the maximum definite prison term prescribed in division (A)(2)(b) of section 2929. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Methamphetamine: means methamphetamine, any salt, isomer, or salt of an isomer of methamphetamine, or any compound, mixture, preparation, or substance containing methamphetamine or any salt, isomer, or salt of an isomer of methamphetamine. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- possession: means having control over a thing or substance, but may not be inferred solely from mere access to the thing or substance through ownership or occupation of the premises upon which the thing or substance is found. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Professionally licensed person: means any of the following:
(1) A person who has received a certificate or temporary certificate as a certified public accountant or who has registered as a public accountant under Chapter 4701 of the Revised Code and who holds an Ohio permit issued under that chapter;
(2) A person who holds a certificate of qualification to practice architecture issued or renewed and registered under Chapter 4703 of the Revised Code;
(3) A person who is registered as a landscape architect under Chapter 4703 of the Revised Code or who holds a permit as a landscape architect issued under that chapter;
(4) A person licensed under Chapter 4707 of the Revised Code;
(5) A person who has been issued a certificate of registration as a registered barber under Chapter 4709 of the Revised Code;
(6) A person licensed and regulated to engage in the business of a debt pooling company by a legislative authority, under authority of Chapter 4710 of the Revised Code;
(7) A person who has been issued a cosmetologist's license, hair designer's license, manicurist's license, esthetician's license, natural hair stylist's license, advanced cosmetologist's license, advanced hair designer's license, advanced manicurist's license, advanced esthetician's license, advanced natural hair stylist's license, cosmetology instructor's license, hair design instructor's license, manicurist instructor's license, esthetics instructor's license, natural hair style instructor's license, independent contractor's license, or tanning facility permit under Chapter 4713 of the Revised Code;
(8) A person who has been issued a license to practice dentistry, a general anesthesia permit, a conscious sedation permit, a limited resident's license, a limited teaching license, a dental hygienist's license, or a dental hygienist's teacher's certificate under Chapter 4715 of the Revised Code;
(9) A person who has been issued an embalmer's license, a funeral director's license, a funeral home license, or a crematory license, or who has been registered for an embalmer's or funeral director's apprenticeship under Chapter 4717 of the Revised Code;
(10) A person who has been licensed as a registered nurse or practical nurse, or who has been issued a certificate for the practice of nurse-midwifery under Chapter 4723 of the Revised Code;
(11) A person who has been licensed to practice optometry or to engage in optical dispensing under Chapter 4725 of the Revised Code;
(12) A person licensed to act as a pawnbroker under Chapter 4727 of the Revised Code;
(13) A person licensed to act as a precious metals dealer under Chapter 4728 of the Revised Code;
(14) A person licensed under Chapter 4729 of the Revised Code as a pharmacist or pharmacy intern or registered under that chapter as a registered pharmacy technician, certified pharmacy technician, or pharmacy technician trainee;
(15) A person licensed under Chapter 4729 of the Revised Code as a manufacturer of dangerous drugs, outsourcing facility, third-party logistics provider, repackager of dangerous drugs, wholesale distributor of dangerous drugs, or terminal distributor of dangerous drugs;
(16) A person who is authorized to practice as a physician assistant under Chapter 4730 of the Revised Code;
(17) A person who has been issued a license to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and surgery under Chapter 4731 of the Revised Code or has been issued a certificate to practice a limited branch of medicine under that chapter;
(18) A person licensed as a psychologist, independent school psychologist, or school psychologist under Chapter 4732 of the Revised Code;
(19) A person registered to practice the profession of engineering or surveying under Chapter 4733 of the Revised Code;
(20) A person who has been issued a license to practice chiropractic under Chapter 4734 of the Revised Code;
(21) A person licensed to act as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson under Chapter 4735 of the Revised Code;
(22) A person registered as a registered environmental health specialist under Chapter 3776 of the Revised Code;
(23) A person licensed to operate or maintain a junkyard under Chapter 4737 of the Revised Code;
(24) A person who has been issued a motor vehicle salvage dealer's license under Chapter 4738 of the Revised Code;
(25) A person who has been licensed to act as a steam engineer under Chapter 4739 of the Revised Code;
(26) A person who has been issued a license or temporary permit to practice veterinary medicine or any of its branches, or who is registered as a graduate animal technician under Chapter 4741 of the Revised Code;
(27) A person who has been issued a hearing aid dealer's or fitter's license or trainee permit under Chapter 4747 of the Revised Code;
(28) A person who has been issued a class A, class B, or class C license or who has been registered as an investigator or security guard employee under Chapter 4749 of the Revised Code;
(29) A person licensed to practice as a nursing home administrator under Chapter 4751 of the Revised Code;
(30) A person licensed to practice as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist under Chapter 4753 of the Revised Code;
(31) A person issued a license as an occupational therapist or physical therapist under Chapter 4755 of the Revised Code;
(32) A person who is licensed as a licensed professional clinical counselor, licensed professional counselor, social worker, independent social worker, independent marriage and family therapist, or marriage and family therapist, or registered as a social work assistant under Chapter 4757 of the Revised Code;
(33) A person issued a license to practice dietetics under Chapter 4759 of the Revised Code;
(34) A person who has been issued a license or limited permit to practice respiratory therapy under Chapter 4761 of the Revised Code;
(35) A person who has been issued a real estate appraiser certificate under Chapter 4763 of the Revised Code;
(36) A person who has been issued a home inspector license under Chapter 4764 of the Revised Code;
(37) A person who has been admitted to the bar by order of the supreme court in compliance with its prescribed and published rules. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Public premises: means any hotel, restaurant, tavern, store, arena, hall, or other place of public accommodation, business, amusement, or resort. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- School: means any school operated by a board of education, any community school established under Chapter 3314 of the Revised Code, or any nonpublic school for which the director of education and workforce prescribes minimum standards under section 3301. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- Second degree felony mandatory prison term: means one of the definite prison terms prescribed in division (A)(2)(b) of section 2929. See Ohio Code 2925.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
- United States: includes all the states. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Whoever: includes all persons, natural and artificial; partners; principals, agents, and employees; and all officials, public or private. See Ohio Code 1.02
(B) This section does not apply to any person listed in division (B)(1), (2), or (3) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code to the extent and under the circumstances described in those divisions.
(C)(1) Whoever commits a violation of division (A) of this section that involves any drug other than marihuana is guilty of illegal manufacture of drugs, and whoever commits a violation of division (A) of this section that involves marihuana is guilty of illegal cultivation of marihuana.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if the drug involved in the violation of division (A) of this section is any compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in schedule I or II, with the exception of methamphetamine or marihuana, illegal manufacture of drugs is a felony of the second degree, and, subject to division (E) of this section, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a second degree felony mandatory prison term.
If the drug involved in the violation is any compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in schedule I or II, with the exception of methamphetamine or marihuana, and if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a juvenile or in the vicinity of a school, illegal manufacture of drugs is a felony of the first degree, and, subject to division (E) of this section, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a first degree felony mandatory prison term.
(3) If the drug involved in the violation of division (A) of this section is methamphetamine, the penalty for the violation shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(3)(b) of this section, if the drug involved in the violation is methamphetamine, illegal manufacture of drugs is a felony of the second degree, and, subject to division (E) of this section, the court shall impose a mandatory prison term on the offender determined in accordance with this division. Except as otherwise provided in this division, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a second degree felony mandatory prison term that is not less than three years. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section, a violation of division (B)(6) of section 2919.22 of the Revised Code, or a violation of division (A) of section 2925.041 of the Revised Code, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a second degree felony mandatory prison term that is not less than five years.
(b) If the drug involved in the violation is methamphetamine and if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a juvenile, in the vicinity of a school, or on public premises, illegal manufacture of drugs is a felony of the first degree, and, subject to division (E) of this section, the court shall impose a mandatory prison term on the offender determined in accordance with this division. Except as otherwise provided in this division, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a first degree felony mandatory prison term that is not less than four years. If the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section, a violation of division (B)(6) of section 2919.22 of the Revised Code, or a violation of division (A) of section 2925.041 of the Revised Code, the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a first degree felony mandatory prison term that is not less than five years.
(4) If the drug involved in the violation of division (A) of this section is any compound, mixture, preparation, or substance included in schedule III, IV, or V, illegal manufacture of drugs is a felony of the third degree or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a felony of the second degree, and there is a presumption for a prison term for the offense.
(5) If the drug involved in the violation is marihuana, the penalty for the offense shall be determined as follows:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(5)(b), (c), (d), (e), or (f) of this section, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a minor misdemeanor or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(b) If the amount of marihuana involved equals or exceeds one hundred grams but is less than two hundred grams, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(c) If the amount of marihuana involved equals or exceeds two hundred grams but is less than one thousand grams, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a felony of the fifth degree or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a felony of the fourth degree, and division (B) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code applies in determining whether to impose a prison term on the offender.
(d) If the amount of marihuana involved equals or exceeds one thousand grams but is less than five thousand grams, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a felony of the third degree or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a felony of the second degree, and division (C) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code applies in determining whether to impose a prison term on the offender.
(e) If the amount of marihuana involved equals or exceeds five thousand grams but is less than twenty thousand grams, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a felony of the third degree or, if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, a felony of the second degree, and there is a presumption for a prison term for the offense.
(f) Except as otherwise provided in this division, if the amount of marihuana involved equals or exceeds twenty thousand grams, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a felony of the second degree, and the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a maximum second degree felony mandatory prison term. If the amount of the drug involved equals or exceeds twenty thousand grams and if the offense was committed in the vicinity of a school or in the vicinity of a juvenile, illegal cultivation of marihuana is a felony of the first degree, and the court shall impose as a mandatory prison term a maximum first degree felony mandatory prison term.
(D) In addition to any prison term authorized or required by division (C) or (E) of this section and sections 2929.13 and 2929.14 of the Revised Code and in addition to any other sanction imposed for the offense under this section or sections 2929.11 to 2929.18 of the Revised Code, the court that sentences an offender who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section may suspend the offender’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit in accordance with division (G) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code. However, if the offender pleaded guilty to or was convicted of a violation of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code or a substantially similar municipal ordinance or the law of another state or the United States arising out of the same set of circumstances as the violation, the court shall suspend the offender’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit in accordance with division (G) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code. If applicable, the court also shall do the following:
(1) If the violation of division (A) of this section is a felony of the first, second, or third degree, the court shall impose upon the offender the mandatory fine specified for the offense under division (B)(1) of section 2929.18 of the Revised Code unless, as specified in that division, the court determines that the offender is indigent. The clerk of the court shall pay a mandatory fine or other fine imposed for a violation of this section pursuant to division (A) of section 2929.18 of the Revised Code in accordance with and subject to the requirements of division (F) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code. The agency that receives the fine shall use the fine as specified in division (F) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code. If a person is charged with a violation of this section that is a felony of the first, second, or third degree, posts bail, and forfeits the bail, the clerk shall pay the forfeited bail as if the forfeited bail were a fine imposed for a violation of this section.
(2) If the offender is a professionally licensed person, the court immediately shall comply with section 2925.38 of the Revised Code.
(E) Notwithstanding the prison term otherwise authorized or required for the offense under division (C) of this section and sections 2929.13 and 2929.14 of the Revised Code, if the violation of division (A) of this section involves the sale, offer to sell, or possession of a schedule I or II controlled substance, with the exception of marihuana, and if the court imposing sentence upon the offender finds that the offender as a result of the violation is a major drug offender and is guilty of a specification of the type described in division (A) of section 2941.1410 of the Revised Code, the court, in lieu of the prison term otherwise authorized or required, shall impose upon the offender the mandatory prison term specified in division (B)(3) of section 2929.14 of the Revised Code.
(F) It is an affirmative defense, as provided in section 2901.05 of the Revised Code, to a charge under this section for a fifth degree felony violation of illegal cultivation of marihuana that the marihuana that gave rise to the charge is in an amount, is in a form, is prepared, compounded, or mixed with substances that are not controlled substances in a manner, or is possessed or cultivated under any other circumstances that indicate that the marihuana was solely for personal use.
Notwithstanding any contrary provision of division (F) of this section, if, in accordance with section 2901.05 of the Revised Code, a person who is charged with a violation of illegal cultivation of marihuana that is a felony of the fifth degree sustains the burden of going forward with evidence of and establishes by a preponderance of the evidence the affirmative defense described in this division, the person may be prosecuted for and may be convicted of or plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of illegal cultivation of marihuana.
(G) Arrest or conviction for a minor misdemeanor violation of this section does not constitute a criminal record and need not be reported by the person so arrested or convicted in response to any inquiries about the person’s criminal record, including any inquiries contained in an application for employment, a license, or any other right or privilege or made in connection with the person’s appearance as a witness.
(H)(1) If the sentencing court suspends the offender’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit under this section in accordance with division (G) of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code, the offender may request termination of, and the court may terminate, the suspension of the offender in accordance with that division.
(2) Any offender who received a mandatory suspension of the offender’s driver’s or commercial driver’s license or permit under this section prior to September 13, 2016, may file a motion with the sentencing court requesting the termination of the suspension. However, an offender who pleaded guilty to or was convicted of a violation of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code or a substantially similar municipal ordinance or law of another state or the United States that arose out of the same set of circumstances as the violation for which the offender’s license or permit was suspended under this section shall not file such a motion.
Upon the filing of a motion under division (H)(2) of this section, the sentencing court, in its discretion, may terminate the suspension.
The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.