Virginia legal term
Drug in Virginia Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Virginia legislative session
In Virginia criminal law, “Drug” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Virginia criminal code.
What does “Drug” mean in Virginia criminal law?
"Drug" means (i) articles or substances recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia National Formulary or official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or any supplement to any of them; (ii) articles or substances intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or animals; (iii) articles or substances, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or animals; (iv) articles or substances intended for use as a component of any article specified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); or (v) a biol (Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-3401)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.