Case Title: State v. Bollander

Citation: 110 Ariz. 84, 515 P.2d 329

Docket Number: 

State: arizona

Court: Arizona Supreme Court

Date: 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
110 Ariz. 84 (1973) 515 P.2d 329 The STATE of Arizona, Appellee, v. Peter Thomas BOLLANDER, Appellant. No. 2637. Supreme Court of Arizona, In Banc. November 1, 1973. *85 Gary K. Nelson, Atty. Gen., Phoenix, by John S. O'Dowd, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tucson, for appellee. Ed Bolding, Pima County Public Defender, by Richard Van Duizend, Asst. Public Defender, Tucson, for appellant. CAMERON, Vice Chief Justice. This is an appeal by the defendant, Peter Thomas Bollander, from a jury verdict and judgment of guilt to the crime of selling marijuana, § 36-1002.07 A.R.S., and a sentence of not less than five nor more than six years in the Arizona State Prison. Defendant raises several issues on this appeal, but we need consider only one question: Was there sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction for the unlawful sale of marijuana? The facts necessary for a determination of the question before us are as follows. On 6 April 1972, the Pima County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging the defendant Bollander with the sale of marijuana. Trial before a jury was held on 14 September 1972, at which trial Bollander conducted his own defense. During its case in chief the State introduced into evidence a substance which the defendant had sold to undercover narcotics agents. A criminalist with the Tucson Crime Laboratory identified the substance as hashish, which she described as "the extracted resin of the marijuana plant." The same witness was recalled by the defendant and she testified as follows: At the close of the State's case, and again after presentation of all the evidence, the defendant moved "to quash the charges on the ground that the State has not shown by evidence submitted [that] the marijuana was sold but only hashish." The motion was treated as one for a directed verdict and denied. Sale of "any narcotic drug other than marijuana" is proscribed by § 36-1002.02 A.R.S. Sale of marijuana is proscribed by § 36-1002.07 A.R.S., and the penalties under that statute differ from the penalties prescribed by § 36-1002.02 A.R.S. The term "narcotic drugs" is defined as follows: The term "cannabis" is defined as follows: The statute concerning the sale of marijuana reads as follows: *87 From the testimony of the expert witness, we have no difficulty in identifying hashish as a derivative of marijuana or "the resin extracted" from the marijuana plant and we believe that hashish clearly comes within the provisions of the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act, § 36-1001 A.R.S., under the following classification: We believe that the term "marijuana" as it is commonly understood is the green, leafy substance often called "grass" which is composed primarily of the leaves of the cannabis sativa plant in its natural state. See People v. McCabe, 49 Ill. 2d 338, 275 N.E.2d 407 (1971). It is clear from a plain reading of § 36-1001(13) A.R.S. that the legislature has recognized hashish and marijuana as two distinct forms of cannabis. Both are narcotic drugs, § 13-1001(14) A.R.S., but marijuana alone has been singled out for separate treatment under our statutes. Consequently, while sale of marijuana is punishable under § 36-1002.07 A.R.S., all other cannabis derivatives, including hashish, are punishable under § 36-1002.02 A.R.S. In short, we do not believe that the legislature intended that a person who sells hashish could be prosecuted and punished for the sale of marijuana, and we hold that where a defendant is specifically charged with the unlawful sale of marijuana, it is not sufficient to show that the substance sold was hashish. In proving that the substance sold was hashish, and in failing to prove that there were any particles of marijuana in the hashish, the State in the instant case failed to prove an essential element of the crime with which the defendant was charged and the conviction cannot stand. Judgment reversed. HAYS, C.J., and STRUCKMEYER, LOCKWOOD and, HOLOHAN, JJ., concur.