Supplying drugs

If you have made the decision to use illicit drugs it is important that you are fully aware of the legal risks involved in doing so. Many people often use terms like “supply”, but in reality have very little idea what it really means.
According to the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act, supply includes “to sell and distribute, and also includes agreeing to supply or offering to supply or keeping or having in possession for supply, or sending, forwarding, delivering, or receiving for supply, or authorising, directing, causing, suffering, permitting or attempting any of those acts or things”.
As you can see, most people who have had anything to do with drugs have probably been a supplier at some time or other. Sharing is simply a part of drug culture. Passing a bump bottle to a friend on a dancefloor or even just offering it them is actually regarded as supply in the eyes of the law. Having drugs in your possession that you intend to give, share or sell is supply. If you have two pills in your possession and you tell the police that you intend to give one of them to a partner or friend, that is supply.
“Deemed supply” is when the police identify someone who is possessing more than a specified amount of drugs and they then presume that the person intends to supply them. People who are charged with “deemed supply” usually have to try to prove that all the drugs they were found with were for their personal use. This usually means that they have to try to convince the court that they are a heavy user with a significant drug problem.
There is one other part of the law that many people are not aware of – the offence to knowingly “take part in” the supply of a prohibited drug. Do you live with someone who occasionally buys drugs for other people, or have friends paid for drugs in your house before stepping out for the evening? Well, if you have, you have committed an offence. You can be charged with this crime if you allow your house, including one you share as a tenant, to be used for selling or distributing drugs. Be aware of the legal risks associated with using drugs – they could change your life forever.
Remember: if you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug and, no matter how many times you have used a substance, never be blasé.