Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/249/96/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 20:34:39+00:00

Document:
The first sentence of § 2 of the Narcotic Drug Act of December 17, 1914, c. 1, 38 Stat. 785, prohibits retail sales of morphine by druggist to persons who have no physician's prescription, who have no order blank therefor, and who cannot obtain an order blank because not of the class to which such blanks are allowed to be issued under the act. P. 249 U. S. 99.
This construction does not make unconstitutional the prohibition of such sale. Id., United States v. Doremus, ante, 249 U. S. 86.
If a practicing and registered physician issues an order for morphine to an habitual user thereof, the order not being issued by him in the course of professional treatment in the attempted cure of the habit, but for the purpose of providing the user with morphine sufficient to keep him comfortable by maintaining his customary use, such order is not a physician's prescription under exception (b) of § 2 of the act. Id.
This case involves the provisions of the Harrison Narcotic Drug Act, considered in No. 367, just decided, ante, 249 U. S. 86. The case comes here upon a certificate from the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. From the certificate, it appears that Webb and Goldbaum were convicted and sentenced in the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Tennessee on a charge of conspiracy (§ 37, Penal Code) to violate the Harrison Narcotic Law. While the certificate states that the indictment is inartificial, it is certified to be sufficient to support a prosecution upon the theory that Webb and Goldbaum intended to have the latter violate the law by using the order blanks (§ 1 of the act) for a prohibited purpose.
"If § 2, rightly construed, forbids sales to a nonregistrable user, and if such prohibition is constitutional, we next meet the question whether such orders as Webb gave to applicants are 'prescription' within the meaning of exception (b) in § 2."
"We conclude that the case cannot be disposed of without determining the construction, and perhaps the constitutionality, of the law in certain particulars, and, for the purpose of certification, we state the facts as follows -- assuming, as for this purpose we must do, that whatever the evidence tended to show in aid of the prosecution must be taken as a fact:"
drug, came from another state and applied to Webb for morphine and was given at one time ten so-called prescriptions for one drachm each, which prescriptions were filled at one time by Goldbaum upon Rabens' presentation, although each was made out in a separate and fictitious name."
"1. Does the first sentence of § 2 of the Harrison Act prohibit retail sales of morphine by druggists to persons who have no physician's prescription, who have no order blank therefor, and who cannot obtain an order blank because not of the class to which such blanks are allowed to be issued?"
"2. If the answer to question one is in the affirmative, does this construction make unconstitutional the prohibition of such sale?"
"3. If a practicing and registered physician issues an order for morphine to an habitual user thereof, the order not being issued by him in the course of professional treatment in the attempted cure of the habit, but being issued for the purpose of providing the user with morphine sufficient to keep him comfortable by maintaining his customary use, is such order a physician's prescription under exception (b) of § 2?"
"If question one is answered in the negative, or question two in the affirmative, no answer to question three will be necessary, and if question three is answered in the affirmative, questions one and two become immaterial."
no discussion of the subject is required. That question should be answered in the negative.
For the reasons which prevented him from assenting in No. 367, THE CHIEF JUSTICE also dissents in this case.
MR. JUSTICE McKENNA, MR. JUSTICE VAN DEVANTER, and MR. JUSTICE McREYNOLDS concur in the dissent.

References: § 2
 v. 
 § 2
 § 2
 § 2
 § 2
 § 2