POSS DANGEROUS DRUGTexas Health & Safety Code (HSC) § 483.041(d)

“POSS DANGEROUS DRUG” stands for Possession of Dangerous Drug, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas HSC § 483.041(d).

Texas Health and Safety Code § 483.041 makes it an offense to possess a dangerous drug unless the drug was obtained from a pharmacist acting lawfully under the Texas Dangerous Drug Act or from a practitioner acting in the course of practice. A 'dangerous drug,' defined by Texas Health and Safety Code § 483.001, is a drug or device unsafe for self-medication that is not included in Schedules I through V or Penalty Groups 1 through 4 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act and that typically bears the federal prescription legend 'Caution: federal law prohibits dispensing without prescription' or 'Rx only.' In practice, the charge covers prescription-only medications that fall outside the controlled-substance penalty groups. The State must prove possession — care, custody, control, or management of the drug — without lawful acquisition. Subsection (d), cited in the court record, is the provision classifying the offense.

64% ended without a conviction, 8% in deferred adjudication and 27% in a conviction.

How 1,575 resolved POSS DANGEROUS DRUG charges filed 2019–2023 ended, across 15 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, FortBend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson):

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (6) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.

Typically about 7 months: half of resolved cases closed within 217 days of filing.

Across 1,575 resolved POSS DANGEROUS DRUG charges filed 2019–2023, the median time from filing to disposition was 217 days. The middle half took between 86 and 452 days.

Time depends on the county's docket, whether the case is set for trial, and plea negotiations.

Up to 1 year in county jail and a fine up to $4,000.

Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.

The median bail is $2,500, and 8% of defendants were released on a personal bond.

Across 25,830 Texas bail settings for this charge (120 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $2,500 (middle half: $1,500 – $5,500). 8% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 614 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (2,606 records), the median was $2,500 and 15% got a personal bond.

Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.