N.Y. PEN Law § 220.03
This is the official text of N.Y. PEN Law § 220.03, part of New York’s Penal Law — defines crimes and punishments in New York.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree
Official statutory text
§ 220.03 Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh\n degree.\n A person is guilty of criminal possession of a controlled substance in\nthe seventh degree when he or she knowingly and unlawfully possesses a\ncontrolled substance; provided, however, that it shall not be a\nviolation of this section when a person possesses a residual amount of a\ncontrolled substance and that residual amount is in or on a hypodermic\nsyringe or hypodermic needle; nor shall it be a violation of this\nsection when a person's unlawful possession of a controlled substance is\ndiscovered as a result of seeking immediate health care as defined in\nparagraph (b) of subdivision three of section 220.78 of this article,\nfor either another person or him or herself because such person is\nexperiencing a drug or alcohol overdose or other life threatening\nmedical emergency as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision three of\nsection 220.78 of this article.\n Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree is\na class A misdemeanor.\n
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a criminal defense matter in New York?
See all New York Criminal Defense lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.