Will You Get Drug Charges If You Have an Empty Canister of Whip Cream in Your Car?

The drugs listed on various schedules in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act are there because their potential for abuse is at least as great as their potential for beneficial use.  The drugs on Schedules II through V have accepted medical uses but can only be dispensed by prescription or administered by medical professionals.  Besides officially listed controlled substances, though, many substances exist which are perfectly legal to own, but resourceful people in search of a high have found ways to derive drug-induced euphoria from them.  This is why the sale of some over-the-counter cough and cold medications are not as easy to buy as they used to be.  Some ordinary household products have psychoactive properties when consumed in certain ways, but how do the police know if you are using them for their intended purpose, as opposed to using them as drugs.  If the police claim that you were planning to get high off of Dust-Off but you were really just taking it home to clean your computer screen, contact a Central Florida drug crimes defense lawyer.

Nail Polish Remover Is for Dudes, Too

Florida Statutes 877.111 of 2012 outlines the laws about inhalants.  Inhalants are chemicals which can produce a euphoric high when their vapors are inhaled.  The law lists 16 different chemicals commonly used as inhalants, but it states that the prohibition applies to any chemical substance used as an inhalant.  Many of these substances are found in household cleaning products, such as the computer screen cleaning product Dust-Off.  Acetone, the active ingredient in nail polish remover, is also listed as an inhalant.  It is legal to buy and possess household products containing chemicals with abuse potential as inhalants.  You can get convicted on drug charges of inhalants if a blood test shows that you had consumed these products.  Possession with intent to inhale can also get you criminal charges.

Nitrous Oxide and Florida Drug Laws

One of the substances mentioned in section 877.111 is nitrous oxide.  Nitrous oxide can be used in a medical setting to reduce anxiety during dentistry procedures.  It is legal for doctors and dentists to administer nitrous oxide to patients, because the doses are very tightly controlled.  It is also commonly found as a propellant in canned food products such as whipped cream and spray cheese products.  Inhaling the nitrous oxide from whipped cream canisters has become popular; in the context of inhalant abuse, the nitrous oxide canisters are sometimes called “whippits.”  Some people inhale nitrous oxide from balloons; the law states that you can get criminal charges for possessing nitrous oxide cartridges and balloons together.

Let Us Help You Today

It is not a crime to own paint thinner, nail polish remover, or whipped cream; a Florida drug offense lawyer can help you defend yourself against unfair accusations that you were misusing household products that are legal to possess.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group to discuss your case.

Resource:

flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2012/877.111#:~:text=(1)%20It%20is%20unlawful%20for,methyl%20isobutyl%20ketone%2C%20ethylene%20glycol