Possession by Amount
ORC 2925.11 — what each quantity actually carries
Possession is charged by degree, and the degree comes off a table. These are the tiers as published by the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, cited back to the section they summarize. Sentencing guidance for each tier is a separate question, covered in How A Judge Decides.
Who handles this in Ohio: Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Ohio directory.
| Schedule I or II | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule I or IIMost pills, meth, and the rest | AmountUnder bulk | DegreeF-5 |
| Schedule I or II | AmountBulk to under 5x bulk | DegreeF-3 |
| Schedule I or II | Amount5x to under 50x bulk | DegreeF-2 |
| Schedule I or II | Amount50x to under 100x bulk | DegreeF-1 |
| Schedule I or II | Amount100x bulk or more | DegreeF-1, major drug offender |
| Schedule III, IV or V | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule III, IV or VLower schedule compounds | AmountUnder bulk | DegreeM-1, or F-5 with a prior drug abuse offense |
| Schedule III, IV or V | AmountBulk to under 5x bulk | DegreeF-4 |
| Schedule III, IV or V | Amount5x to under 50x bulk | DegreeF-3 |
| Schedule III, IV or V | Amount50x bulk or more | DegreeF-2 |
| Cocaine | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| CocainePowder or crack, same table | AmountUnder 5 g | DegreeF-5 |
| Cocaine | Amount5 to under 10 g | DegreeF-4 |
| Cocaine | Amount10 to under 20 g | DegreeF-3 |
| Cocaine | Amount20 to under 27 g | DegreeF-2 |
| Cocaine | Amount27 to under 100 g | DegreeF-1 |
| Cocaine | Amount100 g or more | DegreeF-1, major drug offender |
| Heroin | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| HeroinBy weight or by unit dose | AmountUnder 1 g, or under 10 unit doses | DegreeF-5 |
| Heroin | Amount1 to under 5 g, or 10 to under 50 doses | DegreeF-4 |
| Heroin | Amount5 to under 10 g, or 50 to under 100 doses | DegreeF-3 |
| Heroin | Amount10 to under 50 g, or 100 to under 500 doses | DegreeF-2 |
| Heroin | Amount50 to under 100 g, or 500 to under 1,000 doses | DegreeF-1 |
| Heroin | Amount100 g or more, or 1,000 doses or more | DegreeF-1, major drug offender |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| Fentanyl related compoundSame shape as heroin, far smaller weights matter | AmountUnder 1 g, or under 10 unit doses | DegreeF-5 |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount1 to under 5 g, or 10 to under 50 doses | DegreeF-4 |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount5 to under 10 g, or 50 to under 100 doses | DegreeF-3 |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount10 to under 20 g, or 100 to under 200 doses | DegreeF-2 |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount20 to under 50 g, or 200 to under 500 doses | DegreeF-1 |
| Fentanyl related compound | Amount100 g or more, or 1,000 doses or more | DegreeF-1, major drug offender |
| Marijuana | Amount | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| MarijuanaCriminal tiers, outside the adult use allowance | AmountUnder 100 g | DegreeMinor misdemeanor |
| Marijuana | Amount100 to under 200 g | DegreeM-4 |
| Marijuana | Amount200 g to under 1 kg | DegreeF-5 |
| Marijuana | Amount1 to under 5 kg | DegreeF-3 |
| Marijuana | Amount5 to under 20 kg | DegreeF-3 |
| Marijuana | Amount20 to under 40 kg | DegreeF-2, mandatory prison |
| Marijuana | Amount40 kg or more | DegreeF-2, mandatory maximum |
The marijuana row is the one that needs a date on it. Those tiers are the criminal statute, and the guide they come from is a February 2023 edition, which is before Ohio's adult use law. An adult over twenty one possessing within the amount that law allows is not in this table at all. Over that line, or under twenty one, and the tiers are what applies.
Major drug offender is not a longer sentence, it is a different one. At the top tier the court is required to impose the maximum term for that degree. There is no room left to argue about where in the range you land, which is why the top tier is the one worth understanding before anything else.
Drawn from the Drug Offense Quick Reference Guide, February 2023 edition, published by the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission with the Supreme Court Law Library. Verify against current 2925.11, because the schedules and the tiers both get amended.
Sources for this section (7)
- ORC 2925.11 — Possession of controlled substances
- Drug Offense Quick Reference Guide — Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, February 2023 edition
- ORC 2925.01 — Drug offense definitions, including bulk amount and unit dose
- ORC 2941.1410 — Major drug offender specification for fentanyl-related compounds
- ORC 3796.221 — Adult use rights: two and one half ounces and fifteen grams, and gifts between adults
- Ohio Sub. S.B. 56 — Replaced Chapter 3780 with the Marijuana Control Law in Chapter 3796, effective March 20, 2026
- ORC 2929.14 — Definite prison terms for felonies
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Ohio attorney.