# At what point does selling my urine become illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169 "2004-10-08T07:06:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/1 "2004-10-08T07:06:58Z")
Let’s assume I’m a healthy male, drug free, non-smoker. A man approaches me and wants to buy my urine, as much as I can deliver, and is willing to pay good money for it. He offers no information as to what his interest in the urine is, and I ask no questions. Can the authorities come after me at a later date if it turns out he was using my urine for nefarious purposes, or will my ignorance of his intent be a sufficient shield againt prosecution? ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/2 "2004-10-08T07:38:36Z")
It depends on the law of the state you’re in. If it’s illegal to sell urine, ignorance of the purchaser’s intent is no defense. If the law requires knowledge that the urine will be used for illicit purposes like cheating a drug test, then your lack of knowledge may very well be a defense. If you live in a state that has no law against selling your urine, then even knowledge of what it will be used for is irrelevant, except for the possibility of being charged with aiding and abetting or conspiracy to commit the underlying crime. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/3 "2004-10-08T08:19:24Z")
… You mean, I can sell it…? I don’t just have to, y’know, flush it? I’ve been pissing away a GOLDmine! Why?!? Why?!? Why-y-y-y-y?!? ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/4 "2004-10-08T13:27:50Z")
> [@astro](#): > > **At what point does selling my urine become illegal?** When you claim it’s beer / apple juice. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/5 "2004-10-08T18:07:33Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > When you claim it’s beer… (obligatory Rolling Rock joke) ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/6 "2004-10-08T18:11:02Z")
As, **Opus1** pointed out, it all depends on the State you live in. I am unaware of any federal legislation outlawing the sale of urine. Some states, most notably South Carolina, have legislation that makes it illegal to: > [@](#): > > sell, give away, distribute, or market urine in this State or transport urine into this State with the intent of using the urine to defraud a drug or alcohol screening test. Generally, it would not be illegal to sell your urine, but if you sold it with the intent of using the urine to defraud a drug or alcohol screening test, it would be illegal. In the one case I found, that intent was proven by showing the guy sold the urine in a kit that > [@](#): > > contains urine, a pouch, a tube, a hand-warmer device, duct tape, a pen, instructions for use, two business cards and a “Notice.” The instructions advise how to use the heat pack to maintain proper temperature, how to affix the kit to the body for “maximum concealment,” and instruct the user to check the temperature strip just before arriving at the collection center and to “dress in loose fitting clothing.” The instructions also claim that “after thousands of kits and years of testing, no one has ever failed a test when using our kit.” At the bottom of the instructions is a “Disclaimer Statement” which, among other things, states that “Privacy Protection Services does not market this kit for use in ‘drug testing.’ " A strip of paper, approximately 2” by 8" enclosed in the kits states that “Because of recent changes in South Carolina law, Privacy Protection Services no longer markets this URINE TEST substitution kit for use in ‘DRUG TESTING’… THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD AS A NOVELTY ONLY.” However, also included in the kits are Privacy Protection Services business cards, stating “Pass Any Drug Test.” South Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld his conviction and said the kit and other evidence clearly show the defendant had the intent that the urine be used to defraud urine tests. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/7 "2004-10-08T18:44:32Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > … You mean, I can sell it…? > > I don’t just have to, y’know, flush it? > > I’ve been pissing away a GOLDmine! Why?!? Why?!? Why-y-y-y-y?!? Boy, the things you remember… the 1964 presidential campaign… I remember all of us first-graders giggling over the name “Goldwater”. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/8 "2004-10-09T18:02:58Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/9 "2004-10-09T19:30:37Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Some states, most notably South Carolina, have legislation that makes it illegal to: > > > [@](#): > > > > sell, give away, distribute, or market urine in this State or transport urine into this State with the intent of using the urine to defraud drug or alcohol screening test. Just out of curiosity, what’s the definition of “urine” in the South Carolina statute? Is it strictly human urine? Does the South Carolina law also criminalize the sale of [artificial urine](http://www.westhillbio.com/SupplyDetail.asp?SuppNbr=EDB-201) that is intended to “defraud a drug or alcohol screening test”? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/10 "2004-10-09T20:45:36Z")
> [@](#): > > (obligatory Rolling Rock joke) Hey, shut up, Rolling Rock is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-selling-my-urine-become-illegal/268169/11 "2004-10-10T04:59:18Z")
I’m too busy turning my washing machine into a CASH COW!!!11111oneoneone