Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises

A distinct offense, codified in United States federal law and in the law of most states, that criminalizes knowingly opening, maintaining, renting, leasing or making available a place, whether a private residence, vehicle or commercial property, for the purpose of manufacturing, storing, distributing or using a controlled substance. Federal law addresses the offense at 21 U.S.C. Section 856, popularly known as the crack house statute after the provision's original 1986 enactment, though its application has since extended well beyond crack cocaine to any controlled substance and to any knowing property owner, landlord or manager, not only the person actually using or selling the drug on the premises. The offense targets the person who controls or profits from the property rather than, or in addition to, the person actually possessing or distributing the drug there, and it has been applied in some jurisdictions to hold a property owner criminally responsible for repeated, known drug activity that the owner failed to stop despite an opportunity to do so.