Distribution basically means that a person is selling, furnishing or delivering a controlled substance. Distribution charges are often brought against people who try to sell drugs to an undercover officer or a confidential informant. Distributing controlled substances, including marijuana, is a Class B felony, which carries a maximum sentence of two to twenty years and a maximum fine of $10,000. Persons convicted of unlawfully selling a controlled substance on or within three miles of a school or university campus must serve an extra five years in prison without the possibility of probation. If a person over the age of 18 distributes a controlled substance to a person under the age of 18, the case must be treated as a Class A felony without the possibility of a suspended sentence or probation.

The offense of drug trafficking refers primarily to the weight of the substances involved and not to the movement of the drugs either across state lines or from one person to another. In fact, possession of a controlled substance may become a trafficking charge if the drugs weigh enough. It is not necessary for a trafficking charge that the drugs in question have been moved or transported at all.

Trafficking is a Class A felony, but the sentences for this offense differ from those ordinarily authorized for this range of felony. Depending on the substance and weight involved, a sentence for trafficking can range from three years in prison and $25,000 to life without parole.

This information was provided by the Mobile County [AL] District Attorney's Office and is intended to give USA students a legal perspective on what being involved with illegal drugs can mean for their futures. Students are encouraged to be aware of this information when they make decisions about who to hang out with, where to go, and what to do. It should be noted that the legal information provided only encompasses the law of the State of Alabama.