POSS USE INHALE/INGEST VOLATILE CHEMTexas Health & Safety Code (HSC) § 485.031

“POSS USE INHALE/INGEST VOLATILE CHEM” stands for Inhalant Abuse: Possessing or Using a Volatile Chemical (Huffing), a Class B misdemeanor under Texas HSC § 485.031.

Texas Health and Safety Code § 485.031 addresses inhalant abuse, commonly called huffing. A person commits the offense by inhaling, ingesting, applying, using, or possessing an abusable volatile chemical with intent to inhale, ingest, apply, or use the chemical in a manner contrary to the directions, cautions, or warnings on its label, and designed to affect the central nervous system, create or induce a condition of intoxication, hallucination, or elation, or change, distort, or disturb the person's eyesight, thinking process, balance, or coordination. Abusable volatile chemicals are products identified in Chapter 485, such as toluene-based glues, aerosol paints, and similar solvents. The offense has two components: contact with or possession of the chemical, and the specific intent to misuse it for its intoxicating effect. Ordinary possession of household products for their intended purposes is not covered.

45% ended without a conviction, 12% in deferred adjudication and 43% in a conviction.

How 132 resolved POSS USE INHALE/INGEST VOLATILE CHEM charges filed 2019–2023 ended, across 10 counties (Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, Galveston, Hays, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson):

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (0) 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 4 months: half of resolved cases closed within 124 days of filing.

Across 132 resolved POSS USE INHALE/INGEST VOLATILE CHEM charges filed 2019–2023, the median time from filing to disposition was 124 days. The middle half took between 31 and 250 days.

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

Up to 180 days in county jail and a fine up to $2,000.

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

The median bail is $2,000, and 13% of defendants were released on a personal bond.

Across 927 Texas bail settings for this charge (8 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $2,000 (middle half: $1,000 – $3,000). 13% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 7 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (366 records), the median was $1,500 and 16% 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.