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S. 910
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Moore
Document Path: l:\s-jud\bills\moore\jud0122.tlm.doc
Introduced in the Senate on February 4, 2004
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary
Summary: Methamphetamine, manufacturing of is a violent crime; also deals with possession of
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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2/4/2004 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-26
2/4/2004 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-26
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND SECTION 16-1-60, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO VIOLENT CRIMES, SO AS TO INCLUDE THE OFFENSE OF MANUFACTURING METHAMPHETAMINE AS A VIOLENT CRIME; TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-110, RELATING TO THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT, SO AS TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "PARAPHERNALIA", ADD THE DEFINITIONS OF "COCAINE BASE" AND "METHAMPHETAMINE", AND DELETE THE DEFINITION OF "CRACK COCAINE, ICE, OR CRANK"; TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-210, RELATING TO SCHEDULE II DRUGS, SO AS TO INCLUDE EPHEDRINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, AND PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE AS IMMEDIATE PRECURSORS TO SCHEDULE II DRUGS; TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-365, RELATING TO THEFT OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, SO AS TO INCLUDE THEFT OF PRECURSOR SUBSTANCES; AND TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-375, RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF METHAMPHETAMINE, SO AS TO MAKE POSSESSION OF EQUIPMENT USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METHAMPHETAMINE PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF THE INTENT TO MANUFACTURE, AND TO INCLUDE A PUNISHMENT SCHEDULE FOR POSSESSION OF EPHEDRINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, AND PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 16-1-60 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 92 of 2003, is further amended to read:
"Section 16-1-60. For purposes of definition under South Carolina law, a violent crime includes the offenses of: murder (Section 16-3-10); criminal sexual conduct in the first and second degree (Sections 16-3-652 and 16-3-653); criminal sexual conduct with minors, first and second degree (Section 16-3-655); assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, first and second degree (Section 16-3-656); assault and battery with intent to kill (Section 16-3-620); kidnapping (Section 16-3-910); voluntary manslaughter (Section 16-3-50); armed robbery (Section 16-11-330(A)); attempted armed robbery (Section 16-11-330(B)); carjacking (Section 16-3-1075); drug trafficking, as defined in Sections Section 44-53-370(e) and 44-53-375(C); manufacturing or trafficking methamphetamine as defined in Section 44-53-375; arson in the first degree (Section 16-11-110(A)); arson in the second degree (Section 16-11-110(B)); burglary in the first degree (Section 16-11-311); burglary in the second degree (Section 16-11-312(B)); engaging a child for a sexual performance (Section 16-3-810); homicide by child abuse (Section 16-3-85(A)(1)); aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse (Section 16-3-85(A)(2)); inflicting great bodily injury upon a child (Section 16-3-95(A)); allowing great bodily injury to be inflicted upon a child (Section 16-3-95(B)); criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature (Section 16-25-65); abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death (Section 43-35-85(F)); abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in great bodily injury (Section 43-35-85(E)); accessory before the fact to commit any of the above offenses (Section 16-1-40); attempt to commit any of the above offenses (Section 16-1-80); and taking of a hostage by an inmate (Section 24-13-450). Only those offenses specifically enumerated in this section are considered violent offenses."
SECTION 2. Section 44-53-110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-53-110. As used in this article and Sections 44-49-10, 44-49-40, and 44-49-50:
'Administer' means the direct application of a controlled substance, whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means, to the body of a patient or research subject by:
(1) a practitioner (or, in his presence, by his authorized agent), or
(2) the patient or research subject at the direction and in the presence of the practitioner.
'Agent' means an authorized person who acts on behalf of or at the direction of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser, except that this term does not include a common or contract carrier, public warehouseman, or employee of the carrier or warehouseman, when acting in the usual or lawful course of the carrier's or warehouseman's business.
'Bureau' means the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, United States Department of Justice, or its successor agency.
'Commission' means the South Carolina Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
'Confidant' means a medical practitioner, a pharmacist, a pharmacologist, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a full-time staff member of a college or university counseling bureau, a guidance counselor or a teacher in an elementary school or in a junior or senior high school, a full-time staff member of a hospital, a duly ordained and licensed member of the clergy, accredited Christian Science practitioner, or any professional or paraprofessional staff member of a drug treatment, education, rehabilitation, or referral center who has received a communication from a holder of the privilege.
'Controlled substance' means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor in Schedules I through V in Sections 44-53-190, 44-53-210, 44-53-230, 44-53-250, and 44-53-270.
'Controlled substance analogue' means a substance that is intended for human consumption and that either has a chemical structure substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II, or III or has a stimulant, depressant, analgesic, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system that is substantially similar to that of a controlled substance in Schedules I, II, or III. Controlled substance analogue does not include a controlled substance; any substance generally recognized as safe and effective within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.; any substance for which there is an approved new drug application; or, with respect to a particular person, any substance if an exemption is in effect for investigational use for that person under Section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 355.
'Counterfeit substance' means a controlled substance which, or the container or labeling of which, without authorization, bears the trademark, trade name, or other identifying mark, imprint, number, or device, or any likeness thereof, of a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser other than the person who, in fact, manufactured, distributed, or dispensed such substance and which, thereby, falsely purports or is represented to be the product of, or to have been distributed by, such other manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser.
'Crack cocaine' 'Cocaine base' means an alkaloidal cocaine or freebase form of cocaine, which is the end product of a chemical alteration whereby the cocaine in salt form is converted to a form suitable for smoking. Cocaine base is commonly referred to as 'rock or crack cocaine'.
'Deliver' or 'delivery' means the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer of a controlled drug or paraphernalia whether or not there exists an agency relationship.
'Department' means the State Department of Health and Environmental Control.
'Depressant or stimulant drug' means: (a) a drug which contains any quantity of barbituric acid or any of the salts of barbituric acid, or any derivative of barbituric acid which has been designated as habit forming by the appropriate federal agency or by the department; (b) a drug which contains any quantity of amphetamine or any of its optical isomers, any salt of amphetamine or any salt of any optical isomer of amphetamine, or any other substance which the appropriate federal agency, or the department, after investigation, as has found to be capable of being, and by regulation designated as, habit forming because of its stimulant effect on the central nervous system; or (c) lysergic acid diethylamide or mescaline, or any other substance which the appropriate federal agency or the department, after investigation, has found to have, and by regulation designates as having a potential for abuse because of its stimulant or depressant effect on the central nervous system or its hallucinogenic effect.
'Detoxification treatment' means the dispensing, for a period not in excess of twenty-one days, of a narcotic drug in decreasing doses to an individual in order to alleviate adverse physiological or psychological effects incident to withdrawal from the continuous or sustained use of a narcotic drug and as a method of bringing the individual to a narcotic drug-free state within this period.
'Director' means the Director of the Department of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs under the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
'Dispense' means to deliver a controlled substance to an ultimate user or research subject by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner, including the prescribing, administering, packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for the delivery.
'Dispenser' means a practitioner who delivers a controlled substance to the ultimate user or research subject.
'Distribute' means to deliver (other than by administering or dispensing) a controlled substance.
'Distributor' means a person who so delivers a controlled substance.
'Drug' means: (a) substances a substance recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them; and (b) substances a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man and animals; and (c) substances a substance (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man and animals; and (d) substances a substance intended for use as a component of any substance specified in clause sub item (a), (b), or (c) of this paragraph but does not include devices or their components, parts, or accessories.
'Drug problem' means a mental or physical problem caused by the use or abuse of a controlled substance.
'Holder of the privilege' means a person with an existing or a potential drug problem who seeks counseling, treatment, or therapy regarding such drug problem.
'Ice' or 'crank' means amphetamine or methamphetamine, any salt, isomer, or salt of an isomer, or any mixture or compound containing any of these substances.
'Imitation controlled substance' means a noncontrolled substance which is represented to be a controlled substance and is packaged in a manner normally used for the distribution or delivery of an illegal controlled substance.
'Immediate precursor' means a substance which the appropriate federal agency or the department has found to be and by regulation has designated as being, or can be proven by expert testimony as being the principal compound commonly used or produced primarily for use, and which is an immediate chemical intermediary used or likely to be used in the manufacture of a controlled substance, or is a reagent, solvent, or catalyst used in the manufacture of controlled substances, the control of which is necessary to prevent, curtail, or limit such manufacture.
'Maintenance treatment' means the dispensing, for a period in excess of twenty-one days, of a narcotic drug in the treatment of an individual for dependence upon heroin or other morphine-like drugs.
'Manufacture' means the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of a controlled substance, either directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of natural origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substance or labeling or relabeling of its container, except that this term does not include the preparation or compounding of a controlled substance by an individual for his own use or the preparation, compounding, packaging, or labeling of a controlled substance:
(1) by a practitioner as an incident to his administering or dispensing of a controlled substance in the course of his professional practice, or
(2) by a practitioner, or by his authorized agent under his supervision, for the purpose of, or as an incident to, research, teaching, or chemical analysis and not for sale.
'Manufacturer' means any person who packages, repackages, or labels any container of any controlled substance, except practitioners who dispense or compound prescription orders for delivery to the ultimate consumer.
'Marijuana' means:
(1) all species or variety of the marijuana plant and all parts thereof whether growing or not;
(2) the seeds of the marijuana plant;
(3) the resin extracted from any part of the marijuana plant;
(4) every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the marijuana plant, marijuana seeds, or marijuana resin.
'Marijuana' does not mean:
(1) the mature stalks of the marijuana plant or fibers produced from these stalks;
(2) oil or cake made from the seeds of the marijuana plant;
(3) any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivatives, mixture or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom);
(4) the sterilized seed of the marijuana plant which is incapable of germination.
'Methamphetamine' includes any salt, isomer, or salt of an isomer, or any mixture or compound containing amphetamine or methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is commonly referred to as 'crank, ice, or crystal meth'.
'Narcotic drug' means any of the following, whether produced directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of vegetable origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis:
(a) opium, coca leaves, and opiates;
(b) a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative or preparation of opium, coca leaves, or opiates;
(c) a substance (and any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, or preparation thereof) which is chemically identical with any of the substances referred to in clauses sub items (a) or (b). This term does not include decocainized coca leaves or extracts of coca leaves, which extracts do not contain cocaine or ecgonine.
'Noncontrolled substance' means any substance of chemical or natural origin which is not included in the schedules of controlled substances set forth in this article or included in the federal schedules of controlled substances set forth in Title 21, Section 812 of the United States Code or in Title 21, Part 1308 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
'Opiate' means any substance having an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine or being capable of conversion into a drug having addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability. It does not include, unless specifically designated as controlled under this article, the dextrorotatory isomer of 3-methoxy-n-methylmorphinan and its salts (dextromethorphan). It does include its racemic and levorotatory forms.
'Opium poppy' means the plant of the species Papaver somniferum L., except the seed thereof.
'Paraphernalia' means any instrument, device, article, or contrivance used, designed for use, or intended for use in ingesting, smoking, administering, manufacturing, or preparing marijuana, hashish, hashish oil, or cocaine a controlled substance and does not include cigarette papers and tobacco pipes but includes, but is not limited to:
(1) metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic marijuana or hashish pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls;
(2) water pipes designed for use or intended for use with marijuana, hashish, hashish oil, or cocaine;
(3) carburetion tubes and devices;
(4) smoking and carburetion masks;
(5) roach clips;
(6) separation gins designed for use or intended for use in cleaning marijuana;
(7) cocaine spoons and vials;
(8) chamber pipes;
(9) carburetor pipes;
(10) electric pipes;
(11) air-driven pipes;
(12) chilams;
(13) bongs;
(14) ice pipes or chillers.
'Peyote' means all parts of the plant presently classified botanically as Lophophora Williamsii Lemaire, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; any extract from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or extracts.
'Poppy straw' means all parts, except the seeds, of the opium poppy, after mowing.
'Practitioner' means:
(1) A physician, dentist, veterinarian, podiatrist, scientific investigator, or other person licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or to administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State.
(2) A pharmacy, hospital, or other institution licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or to administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State.
'Production' includes the manufacture, planting, cultivation, growing, or harvesting of a controlled substance.
'Ultimate user' means a person who lawfully possesses a controlled substance for his own use or for the use of a member of his household or for administration to an animal owned by him or a member of his household."
SECTION 3. Section 44-53-210(g) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(g) Unless specifically excepted or unless listed in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of the following substance:
(1) Immediate precursor to amphetamine and methamphetamine, including but not limited to:
Phenylacetone, also known as phenyl-2-propanone; P2P;
benzyl methyl ketone; methyl benzyl ketone; or
(ii) Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine."
SECTION 4. Section 44-53-365 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 365 of 2002, is amended to read:
"Section 44-53-365. (A) It is unlawful for a person to take or exercise control over a controlled substance or the immediate precursor of a controlled substance belonging to another person or entity with the intent to deprive the person or entity of the controlled substance or the immediate precursor.
(B) A person who knowingly and intentionally violates subsection (A):
(1) for a first offense, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both; and
(2) for a second or subsequent violation, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than ten years or fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or both."
SECTION 5. Section 44-53-375 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-53-375. (A) A person possessing or attempting to possess less than one gram of ice, crank, or crack cocaine methamphetamine or cocaine base, as defined in Section 44-53-110, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction for a first offense, must be imprisoned not more than five years and fined not less than five thousand dollars. For a first offense the court, upon approval of the solicitor, may require as part of a sentence, that the offender enter and successfully complete a drug treatment and rehabilitation program. For a second offense, the offender is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than ten years and fined not less than ten thousand dollars. For a third or subsequent offense, the offender is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than ten years nor more than fifteen years and fined not less than fifteen thousand dollars.
(B) A person who manufactures, distributes, dispenses, delivers, purchases, or otherwise aids, abets, attempts, or conspires to manufacture, distribute, dispense, deliver, or purchase, or possesses with intent to distribute, dispense, or deliver ice, crank, or crack cocaine methamphetamine or cocaine base, in violation of the provisions of Section 44-53-370, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction:
(1) for a first offense, must be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than fifteen years and fined not less than twenty-five thousand dollars;
(2) for a second offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender must be imprisoned for not more than twenty-five years and fined not less than fifty thousand dollars;
(3) for a third or subsequent offense or if the offender has been convicted two or more times in the aggregate of any violation of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender must be imprisoned for not more than thirty years and fined not less than one hundred thousand dollars.
Possession of one or more grams of ice, crank, or crack cocaine methamphetamine or cocaine base is prima facie evidence of a violation of this subsection.
(C) A person who knowingly sells, manufactures, delivers, purchases, or brings into this State, or who provides financial assistance or otherwise aids, abets, attempts, or conspires to sell, manufacture, deliver, purchase, or bring into this State, or who is knowingly in actual or constructive possession or who knowingly attempts to become in actual or constructive possession of ten grams or more of ice, crank, or crack cocaine methamphetamine or cocaine base, as defined and otherwise limited in Sections 44-53-110, 44-53-210(b)(4), 44-53-210(d)(1), or 44-53-210(d)(2), is guilty of a felony which is known as 'trafficking in ice, crank, or crack cocaine methamphetamine or cocaine base' and, upon conviction, must be punished as follows if the quantity involved is:
(1) ten grams or more, but less than twenty-eight grams:
(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than three years nor more than ten years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of twenty-five thousand dollars;
(b) for a second offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(c) for a third or subsequent offense, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(2) twenty-eight grams or more, but less than one hundred grams:
(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(b) for a second offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(c) for a third or subsequent offense, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years and not more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(3) one hundred grams or more, but less than two hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(4) two hundred grams or more, but less than four hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of one hundred thousand dollars;
(5) four hundred grams or more, a term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of two hundred thousand dollars.
(D) Possession of equipment or paraphernalia used in the manufacture of methamphetamine or cocaine base is prima facie evidence of intent to manufacture.
(E) It is unlawful for any person, other than a manufacturer, practitioner, dispenser, distributor, or retailer to knowingly possess any product that contains ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine in an amount which exceeds 300 pills, tablets, gelcaps, capsules, or other individual units, or nine grams or more of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or a combination of any of these substances, whichever is smaller. Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be punished as follows if the quantity involved is:
(1) nine grams or more, but less than twenty-eight grams:
(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than three years nor more than ten years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of twenty-five thousand dollars;
(b) for a second offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(c) for a third or subsequent offense, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(2) twenty-eight grams or more, but less than one hundred grams:
(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(b) for a second offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(c) for a third or subsequent offense, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years and not more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(3) one hundred grams or more, but less than two hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;
(4) two hundred grams or more, but less than four hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of one hundred thousand dollars;
(5) four hundred grams or more, a term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of two hundred thousand dollars.
(F) Except for a first offense, as provided in subsection (A) of this section, sentences for violation of the provisions of this section may not be suspended and probation may not be granted. A person convicted and sentenced under this subsection to a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, or a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years is not eligible for parole, extended work release, as provided in Section 24-13-610, or supervised furlough, as provided in Section 24-13-710."
SECTION 6. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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