Drugs are substances that change a person’s mental or physical state.
Certain drugs are legal to buy from shops and pharmacies. Some require a prescription from a medical professional.

Illegal drugs

Illegal drugs are drugs that are against the law to produce, possess, sell, give away, or use.

Illegal drugs are classified as A, B, or C depending on how harmful they are. The biggest penalties are for having or dealing class A drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, or ecstasy.

Read the UK government’s list of controlled drugs for more information on what illegal drugs are and how they’re classified.

Fake pharmaceuticals

Fake pharmaceuticals are illegal to sell . These are substances given incorrect labels to trick people who buy them into thinking they’re real medicines.

The ingredients listed on the packaging may be incorrect. The drugs may also not have been tested to meet approved safety standards.
People buy these drugs without prescriptions from unlicensed shops or online.

Read advice on how to spot fake pharmaceuticals from the UK government

Illicit drugs

Illicit drugs include illegal drugs, but they can also include:

• legal drugs used in an unlawful way (such as using someone else’s prescription medication)
• substances that are legal but used for improper reasons (such as inhaling gas, glue, or aerosol sprays)
• new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are designed to mimic drugs like cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy (learn more about NPS from FRANK)
• vapes which are unregulated and untested and which may contain illegal drugs

The impact of drug convictions

If you have a drug conviction, it can stop you from:

• getting a job
• entering some countries (such as the USA, Australia, and New Zealand)
• having a driving licence
• accessing some education or professional training programmes

Giving illegal drugs away

Supplying illegal drugs is a crime. It’s when you give, sell, or share a drug with someone else. It does not matter if you make money or not.

It’s also a crime to let a property you occupy or manage be used as a place to take illegal drugs.

Making illegal drugs

Criminal drug manufacturing and production includes:

• growing plants such as cannabis or poppies
• producing synthetic (man-made) drugs such as MDMA and nitazines
• possessing materials or equipment for drug manufacturing or production

It’s also a crime to let your property be used as a place to manufacture or produce drugs.

Drug spiking

Spiking when someone gives drugs to another person without their knowledge or permission. This can happen in various ways, including when someone:

• adds a substance to another person’s drink or food
• injects a substance into another person’s body (also called needle spiking)

If you want to tell us about illegal drug use or supplying, you can report it online, by phone, or in person.

Report it using our online form

Learn about other ways you can report a crime to us

Naloxone is a prescription-only medicine carried by police officers in Scotland. It’s used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdose and provide extra time before an ambulance arrives.

If you have had a bad reaction to drugs, you should:

• call 999 and ask for an ambulance
• tell medical staff what you’ve taken so they know how to help you