S.B. 205

             1     

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE PENALTY AMENDMENT

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Lyle W. Hillyard

             5     
House Sponsor: V. Lowry Snow

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies the Utah Controlled Substances Act regarding the increased penalty
             10      for the offense of possession in specified circumstances.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    provides that increased penalties for the possession of a controlled substance in
             14      certain circumstances may not result in an offense greater than a second degree
             15      felony.
             16      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             17          None
             18      Other Special Clauses:
             19          None
             20      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             21      AMENDS:
             22           58-37-8 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 12
             23     
             24      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             25          Section 1. Section 58-37-8 is amended to read:
             26           58-37-8. Prohibited acts -- Penalties.
             27          (1) Prohibited acts A -- Penalties:


             28          (a) Except as authorized by this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to knowingly and
             29      intentionally:
             30          (i) produce, manufacture, or dispense, or to possess with intent to produce,
             31      manufacture, or dispense, a controlled or counterfeit substance;
             32          (ii) distribute a controlled or counterfeit substance, or to agree, consent, offer, or
             33      arrange to distribute a controlled or counterfeit substance;
             34          (iii) possess a controlled or counterfeit substance with intent to distribute; or
             35          (iv) engage in a continuing criminal enterprise where:
             36          (A) the person participates, directs, or engages in conduct which results in any
             37      violation of any provision of Title 58, Chapters 37, 37a, 37b, 37c, or 37d that is a felony; and
             38          (B) the violation is a part of a continuing series of two or more violations of Title 58,
             39      Chapters 37, 37a, 37b, 37c, or 37d on separate occasions that are undertaken in concert with
             40      five or more persons with respect to whom the person occupies a position of organizer,
             41      supervisor, or any other position of management.
             42          (b) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (1)(a) with respect to:
             43          (i) a substance or a counterfeit of a substance classified in Schedule I or II, a controlled
             44      substance analog, or gammahydroxybutyric acid as listed in Schedule III is guilty of a second
             45      degree felony and upon a second or subsequent conviction is guilty of a first degree felony;
             46          (ii) a substance or a counterfeit of a substance classified in Schedule III or IV, or
             47      marijuana, or a substance listed in Section 58-37-4.2 is guilty of a third degree felony, and
             48      upon a second or subsequent conviction is guilty of a second degree felony; or
             49          (iii) a substance or a counterfeit of a substance classified in Schedule V is guilty of a
             50      class A misdemeanor and upon a second or subsequent conviction is guilty of a third degree
             51      felony.
             52          (c) Any person who has been convicted of a violation of Subsection (1)(a)(ii) or (iii)
             53      may be sentenced to imprisonment for an indeterminate term as provided by law, but if the trier
             54      of fact finds a firearm as defined in Section 76-10-501 was used, carried, or possessed on his
             55      person or in his immediate possession during the commission or in furtherance of the offense,
             56      the court shall additionally sentence the person convicted for a term of one year to run
             57      consecutively and not concurrently; and the court may additionally sentence the person
             58      convicted for an indeterminate term not to exceed five years to run consecutively and not


             59      concurrently.
             60          (d) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (1)(a)(iv) is guilty of a first degree
             61      felony punishable by imprisonment for an indeterminate term of not less than seven years and
             62      which may be for life. Imposition or execution of the sentence may not be suspended, and the
             63      person is not eligible for probation.
             64          (2) Prohibited acts B -- Penalties:
             65          (a) It is unlawful:
             66          (i) for any person knowingly and intentionally to possess or use a controlled substance
             67      analog or a controlled substance, unless it was obtained under a valid prescription or order,
             68      directly from a practitioner while acting in the course of the person's professional practice, or as
             69      otherwise authorized by this chapter;
             70          (ii) for any owner, tenant, licensee, or person in control of any building, room,
             71      tenement, vehicle, boat, aircraft, or other place knowingly and intentionally to permit them to
             72      be occupied by persons unlawfully possessing, using, or distributing controlled substances in
             73      any of those locations; or
             74          (iii) for any person knowingly and intentionally to possess an altered or forged
             75      prescription or written order for a controlled substance.
             76          (b) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (2)(a)(i) with respect to:
             77          (i) marijuana, if the amount is 100 pounds or more, is guilty of a second degree felony;
             78          (ii) a substance classified in Schedule I or II, marijuana, if the amount is more than 16
             79      ounces, but less than 100 pounds, or a controlled substance analog, is guilty of a third degree
             80      felony; or
             81          (iii) marijuana, if the marijuana is not in the form of an extracted resin from any part of
             82      the plant, and the amount is more than one ounce but less than 16 ounces, is guilty of a class A
             83      misdemeanor.
             84          (c) Upon a person's conviction of a violation of this Subsection (2) subsequent to a
             85      conviction under Subsection (1)(a), that person shall be sentenced to a one degree greater
             86      penalty than provided in this Subsection (2).
             87          (d) Any person who violates Subsection (2)(a)(i) with respect to all other controlled
             88      substances not included in Subsection (2)(b)(i), (ii), or (iii), including a substance listed in
             89      Section 58-37-4.2 , or less than one ounce of marijuana, is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.


             90      Upon a second conviction the person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor, and upon a third or
             91      subsequent conviction the person is guilty of a third degree felony.
             92          (e) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (2)(a)(i) while inside the exterior
             93      boundaries of property occupied by any correctional facility as defined in Section 64-13-1 or
             94      any public jail or other place of confinement shall be sentenced to a penalty one degree greater
             95      than provided in Subsection (2)(b), and if the conviction is with respect to controlled
             96      substances as listed in:
             97          (i) Subsection (2)(b), the person may be sentenced to imprisonment for an
             98      indeterminate term as provided by law, and:
             99          (A) the court shall additionally sentence the person convicted to a term of one year to
             100      run consecutively and not concurrently; and
             101          (B) the court may additionally sentence the person convicted for an indeterminate term
             102      not to exceed five years to run consecutively and not concurrently; and
             103          (ii) Subsection (2)(d), the person may be sentenced to imprisonment for an
             104      indeterminate term as provided by law, and the court shall additionally sentence the person
             105      convicted to a term of six months to run consecutively and not concurrently.
             106          (f) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (2)(a)(ii) or(iii) is:
             107          (i) on a first conviction, guilty of a class B misdemeanor;
             108          (ii) on a second conviction, guilty of a class A misdemeanor; and
             109          (iii) on a third or subsequent conviction, guilty of a third degree felony.
             110          (g) A person is subject to the penalties under Subsection (2)(h) who, in an offense not
             111      amounting to a violation of Section 76-5-207 :
             112          (i) violates Subsection (2)(a)(i) by knowingly and intentionally having in the person's
             113      body any measurable amount of a controlled substance; and
             114          (ii) operates a motor vehicle as defined in Section 76-5-207 in a negligent manner,
             115      causing serious bodily injury as defined in Section 76-1-601 or the death of another.
             116          (h) A person who violates Subsection (2)(g) by having in the person's body:
             117          (i) a controlled substance classified under Schedule I, other than those described in
             118      Subsection (2)(h)(ii), or a controlled substance classified under Schedule II is guilty of a second
             119      degree felony;
             120          (ii) marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinols, or equivalents described in Subsection


             121      58-37-4 (2)(a)(iii)(S) or (AA), or a substance listed in Section 58-37-4.2 is guilty of a third
             122      degree felony; or
             123          (iii) any controlled substance classified under Schedules III, IV, or V is guilty of a class
             124      A misdemeanor.
             125          (i) A person is guilty of a separate offense for each victim suffering serious bodily
             126      injury or death as a result of the person's negligent driving in violation of Subsection
             127      58-37-8 (2)(g) whether or not the injuries arise from the same episode of driving.
             128          (3) Prohibited acts C -- Penalties:
             129          (a) It is unlawful for any person knowingly and intentionally:
             130          (i) to use in the course of the manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance a
             131      license number which is fictitious, revoked, suspended, or issued to another person or, for the
             132      purpose of obtaining a controlled substance, to assume the title of, or represent oneself to be, a
             133      manufacturer, wholesaler, apothecary, physician, dentist, veterinarian, or other authorized
             134      person;
             135          (ii) to acquire or obtain possession of, to procure or attempt to procure the
             136      administration of, to obtain a prescription for, to prescribe or dispense to any person known to
             137      be attempting to acquire or obtain possession of, or to procure the administration of any
             138      controlled substance by misrepresentation or failure by the person to disclose receiving any
             139      controlled substance from another source, fraud, forgery, deception, subterfuge, alteration of a
             140      prescription or written order for a controlled substance, or the use of a false name or address;
             141          (iii) to make any false or forged prescription or written order for a controlled substance,
             142      or to utter the same, or to alter any prescription or written order issued or written under the
             143      terms of this chapter; or
             144          (iv) to make, distribute, or possess any punch, die, plate, stone, or other thing designed
             145      to print, imprint, or reproduce the trademark, trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, or
             146      device of another or any likeness of any of the foregoing upon any drug or container or labeling
             147      so as to render any drug a counterfeit controlled substance.
             148          (b) Any person convicted of violating Subsection (3)(a) is guilty of a third degree
             149      felony.
             150          (4) Prohibited acts D -- Penalties:
             151          (a) Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, a person not authorized under this


             152      chapter who commits any act declared to be unlawful under this section, Title 58, Chapter 37a,
             153      Utah Drug Paraphernalia Act, or under Title 58, Chapter 37b, Imitation Controlled Substances
             154      Act, is upon conviction subject to the penalties and classifications under this Subsection (4) if
             155      the trier of fact finds the act is committed:
             156          (i) in a public or private elementary or secondary school or on the grounds of any of
             157      those schools;
             158          (ii) in a public or private vocational school or postsecondary institution or on the
             159      grounds of any of those schools or institutions;
             160          (iii) in those portions of any building, park, stadium, or other structure or grounds
             161      which are, at the time of the act, being used for an activity sponsored by or through a school or
             162      institution under Subsections (4)(a)(i) and (ii);
             163          (iv) in or on the grounds of a preschool or child-care facility;
             164          (v) in a public park, amusement park, arcade, or recreation center;
             165          (vi) in or on the grounds of a house of worship as defined in Section 76-10-501 ;
             166          (vii) in a shopping mall, sports facility, stadium, arena, theater, movie house,
             167      playhouse, or parking lot or structure adjacent thereto;
             168          (viii) in or on the grounds of a library;
             169          (ix) within any area that is within 1,000 feet of any structure, facility, or grounds
             170      included in Subsections (4)(a)(i), (ii), (iv), (vi), and (vii);
             171          (x) in the presence of a person younger than 18 years of age, regardless of where the act
             172      occurs; or
             173          (xi) for the purpose of facilitating, arranging, or causing the transport, delivery, or
             174      distribution of a substance in violation of this section to an inmate or on the grounds of any
             175      correctional facility as defined in Section 76-8-311.3 .
             176          (b) (i) A person convicted under this Subsection (4) is guilty of a first degree felony
             177      and shall be imprisoned for a term of not less than five years if the penalty that would
             178      otherwise have been established but for this Subsection (4) would have been a first degree
             179      felony.
             180          (ii) Imposition or execution of the sentence may not be suspended, and the person is
             181      not eligible for probation.
             182          (c) If the classification that would otherwise have been established would have been


             183      less than a first degree felony but for this Subsection (4), a person convicted under this
             184      Subsection (4) is guilty of one degree more than the maximum penalty prescribed for that
             185      offense. This Subsection (4)(c) does not apply to a violation of Subsection (2)(g).
             186          (d) (i) If the violation is of Subsection (4)(a)(xi):
             187          (A) the person may be sentenced to imprisonment for an indeterminate term as
             188      provided by law, and the court shall additionally sentence the person convicted for a term of
             189      one year to run consecutively and not concurrently; and
             190          (B) the court may additionally sentence the person convicted for an indeterminate term
             191      not to exceed five years to run consecutively and not concurrently; and
             192          (ii) the penalties under this Subsection (4)(d) apply also to any person who, acting with
             193      the mental state required for the commission of an offense, directly or indirectly solicits,
             194      requests, commands, coerces, encourages, or intentionally aids another person to commit a
             195      violation of Subsection (4)(a)(xi).
             196          (e) It is not a defense to a prosecution under this Subsection (4) that the actor
             197      mistakenly believed the individual to be 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense or
             198      was unaware of the individual's true age; nor that the actor mistakenly believed that the
             199      location where the act occurred was not as described in Subsection (4)(a) or was unaware that
             200      the location where the act occurred was as described in Subsection (4)(a).
             201          (5) Any violation of this chapter for which no penalty is specified is a class B
             202      misdemeanor.
             203          (6) For purposes of penalty enhancement under Subsections (1)(b) and (2)(c), a plea of
             204      guilty or no contest to a violation of this section which is held in abeyance under Title 77,
             205      Chapter 2a, Pleas in Abeyance, is the equivalent of a conviction, even if the charge has been
             206      subsequently reduced or dismissed in accordance with the plea in abeyance agreement.
             207          (7) A person may be charged and sentenced for a violation of this section,
             208      notwithstanding a charge and sentence for a violation of any other section of this chapter.
             209          (8) (a) Any penalty imposed for violation of this section is in addition to, and not in
             210      lieu of, any civil or administrative penalty or sanction authorized by law.
             211          (b) Where violation of this chapter violates a federal law or the law of another state,
             212      conviction or acquittal under federal law or the law of another state for the same act is a bar to
             213      prosecution in this state.


             214          (9) In any prosecution for a violation of this chapter, evidence or proof which shows a
             215      person or persons produced, manufactured, possessed, distributed, or dispensed a controlled
             216      substance or substances, is prima facie evidence that the person or persons did so with
             217      knowledge of the character of the substance or substances.
             218          (10) This section does not prohibit a veterinarian, in good faith and in the course of the
             219      veterinarian's professional practice only and not for humans, from prescribing, dispensing, or
             220      administering controlled substances or from causing the substances to be administered by an
             221      assistant or orderly under the veterinarian's direction and supervision.
             222          (11) Civil or criminal liability may not be imposed under this section on:
             223          (a) any person registered under this chapter who manufactures, distributes, or possesses
             224      an imitation controlled substance for use as a placebo or investigational new drug by a
             225      registered practitioner in the ordinary course of professional practice or research; or
             226          (b) any law enforcement officer acting in the course and legitimate scope of the
             227      officer's employment.
             228          (12) (a) Civil or criminal liability may not be imposed under this section on any Indian,
             229      as defined in Subsection 58-37-2 (1)(v), who uses, possesses, or transports peyote for bona fide
             230      traditional ceremonial purposes in connection with the practice of a traditional Indian religion
             231      as defined in Subsection 58-37-2 (1)(w).
             232          (b) In a prosecution alleging violation of this section regarding peyote as defined in
             233      Subsection 58-37-4 (2)(a)(iii)(V), it is an affirmative defense that the peyote was used,
             234      possessed, or transported by an Indian for bona fide traditional ceremonial purposes in
             235      connection with the practice of a traditional Indian religion.
             236          (c) (i) The defendant shall provide written notice of intent to claim an affirmative
             237      defense under this Subsection (12) as soon as practicable, but not later than 10 days prior to
             238      trial.
             239          (ii) The notice shall include the specific claims of the affirmative defense.
             240          (iii) The court may waive the notice requirement in the interest of justice for good
             241      cause shown, if the prosecutor is not unfairly prejudiced by the lack of timely notice.
             242          (d) The defendant shall establish the affirmative defense under this Subsection (12) by
             243      a preponderance of the evidence. If the defense is established, it is a complete defense to the
             244      charges.


             245          (13) (a) It is an affirmative defense that the person produced, possessed, or
             246      administered a controlled substance listed in Section 58-37-4.2 if the person:
             247          (i) was engaged in medical research; and
             248          (ii) was a holder of a valid license to possess controlled substances under Section
             249      58-37-6 .
             250          (b) It is not a defense under Subsection (13)(a) that the person prescribed or dispensed
             251      a controlled substance listed in Section 58-37-4.2 .
             252          (14) It is an affirmative defense that the person possessed, in the person's body, a
             253      controlled substance listed in Section 58-37-4.2 if:
             254          (a) the person was the subject of medical research conducted by a holder of a valid
             255      license to possess controlled substances under Section 58-37-6 ; and
             256          (b) the substance was administered to the person by the medical researcher.
             257          (15) The application of any increase in penalty under this section to a violation of
             258      Subsection (2)(a)(i) may not result in any greater penalty than a second degree felony. This
             259      Subsection (15) takes precedence over any conflicting provision of this section.
             260          [(15)] (16) If any provision of this chapter, or the application of any provision to any
             261      person or circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall be given effect
             262      without the invalid provision or application.
             263          [(16)] (17) A legislative body of a political subdivision may not enact an ordinance that
             264      is less restrictive than any provision of this chapter.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-18-14 3:50 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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