Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/294871/Medical-Marijuana-Motion-to-dismiss-Figueroa
Timestamp: 2016-12-08 22:46:28
Document Index: 470755511

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 11362', '§ 11362', '§ 11000', '§ 11362', '§ 11362', 'art 2', 'art 2']

BrowseInterestsBiography & MemoirBusiness & LeadershipFiction & LiteraturePolitics & EconomyHealth & WellnessSociety & CultureHappiness & Self-HelpMystery, Thriller & CrimeHistoryYoung AdultBrowse byBooksAudiobooksArticlesSheet MusicBrowse allUploadSign inJoin1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28OMAR FIGUEROA #196650 506 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94133 Telephone: 415/986-5591 Facsimile: 415/421-1331 Attorney for Defendant LUCAS A. THAYER
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF ORANGE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, No. 05HF0314 Plaintiff, v. LUCAS A. THAYER NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION TO DISMISS COMPLAINT; MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
Date: July 8, 2005 Defendant. Time: 9:00 a.m. _________________________________/ Dept: 92 TO THE CLERK OF THE ABOVE-ENTITLED COURT AND TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR THE COUNTY OF ORANGE: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the above date and time, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, defendant Lucas A. Thayer, by and through Counsel Omar Figueroa, will and hereby does move to dismiss the complaint filed in this action. This motion
will be made on the grounds that defendant’s actions do not constitute a public offense. Mr. Thayer’s status as a medical
cannabis patient prohibits his criminal prosecution for alleged violations of Health and Safety Code section 11357, in accordance with the California Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion in People v. Mower (2002) 28 Cal.4th 457. In light of Mr. Thayer’s medical
marijuana patient status and in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and the California Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion 1
in Mower, the charges stated in the complaint do not constitute a public offense. Defendant hereby requests an evidentiary hearing to present evidence and to resolve material issues in dispute as relate to his motion to dismiss. This motion to dismiss is made pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 11362.5(d), People v. Mower (2002) 28 Cal.4th 457 and People v. Spark (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 259. This motion to dismiss
is predicated on the separately filed memorandum of points and authorities and exhibits, as well as all documents on file in this case. CONCLUSION Defendant respectfully requests that the motion to dismiss be granted, that the Complaint be dismissed with prejudice. Dated: June , 2005. Respectfully submitted,
OMAR FIGUEROA Attorney for Defendant LUCAS A. THAYER
MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES I. CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH & SAFETY CODE §§ 11362.5 AND 11362.765 PROVIDE IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION AND CREATE A BAR TO JURISDICTION. Defendant’s motion to dismiss is supported by the California Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Mower (2002) 28 Cal.4th 457. 2
In that case the California Supreme Court held that the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 implicates issues that are jurisdictional in nature. “[T]he limited immunity from prosecution granted by section 11362.5(d) implicates jurisdiction in its less fundamental sense; it surely does not undermine a court’s personal or subject matter jurisdiction.” Id. The court was referring to the
fact that there can be no criminal jurisdiction where no crime has been committed. This is precisely the case when a lawful medical
marijuana patient is charged with possession of marijuana. Thus, it is imperative that this Court satisfy itself as to its jurisdiction to hear a complaint as soon as possible. Defendant therefore moves to dismiss the complaint, on the grounds that Health and Safety Code section 11362.5 provides immunity from prosecution, which presents a barrier to this Court’s jurisdiction over the complaint filed against Defendant. II. THE COURT MAY CONSIDER THE PHYSICIAN’S RECOMMENDATION AND OTHER DOCUMENTS IN RULING ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS. It is appropriate for the Court to look beyond “the four corners of the complaint” and take into consideration the physician’s recommendation establishing Defendant’s immunity. The California
Supreme Court established this rule more than a century ago in the case of People v. Wong Sam. In that case, the defendant was accused
of violating Penal Code section 470, (forgery), the defendant argued that an allegedly forged letter was not a paper or instrument that 3
could properly be the subject of a forgery under the statute. trial court examined the subject letter and granted a demurrer. Supreme Court of California upheld the same.
People v. Wong Sam
(1897) 117 Cal. 29, 48 P. 972. See also Lewis v. Superior Court (People) (1990) 217 Cal.App.3d 379, 388 (explaining and reaffirming Wong Sam). Thus, this Court should properly consider a related
matter outside the “four corners of the complaint” such as a previously tendered physician’s recommendation in ruling on the instant motion to dismiss. III. IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A DEFENSE UNDER THE COMPASSIONATE USE ACT, DEFENDANT MUST MERELY RAISE A REASONABLE DOUBT AS TO THE FACTS UNDERLYING THE DEFENSE. At issue in the seminal California Supreme Court opinion of People v. Mower (2002) 28 Cal.4th 457 was whether evidence of a defendant’s status as a qualified patient could be raised prior to trial. Answering affirmatively, Our Supreme Court reasoned that
because the “grant of limited immunity from prosecution in section 11362.5(d) operates by decriminalizing conduct that otherwise would be criminal,” a defendant may move under Penal Code section 995 to set aside an indictment or information on the ground that he or she was indicted or committed “‘without reasonable or probable cause to believe’ that he or she was guilty of possession or cultivation of marijuana in view of his or her status as a qualified patient.” at 473. Id.
With regard to the requisite burden of proof, the Mower court concluded that “as to the facts underlying the defense provided by section 11362.5(d), defendant is required merely to raise a reasonable doubt.” Id. at 481. The Supreme Court analyzed the
quantum of proof for analogous factual situations: Most similar is the defense of possession of a dangerous or restricted drug with a physician's prescription, against a charge of unlawful possession of such a drug. For that defense, a defendant need raise only a reasonable doubt as to his or her possession of the drug in question with a physician's prescription. 28 Cal.4th at 481. The court concluded that medical marijuana
patients should have the same burden as patients who use prescription drugs. “As a result of the enactment of section
11362.5(d), the possession and cultivation of marijuana is no more criminal -- so long as its conditions are satisfied -- than the possession and acquisition of any prescription drug with a physician's prescription.” Id. at 482. Therefore, Mr. Thayer need
raise only a reasonable doubt as to having the requisite “written or oral recommendation or approval or recommendation of a physician” in order to establish a medical marijuana patient defense under the Compassionate Use Act. See, Health & Safety Code § 11362.5(d) (all
further statutory references are to Health and Safety Code unless otherwise noted).
In this case, there is no question that Mr. Thayer had the required “written or oral recommendation or approval or recommendation of a physician” on the date alleged in the Complaint. Specifically, Mr. Thayer has a doctor’s recommendation from Jean Talleyrand, M.D., which he obtained on October 30, 2004. (Hereby attached and incorporated as Exhibit A) This document establishes a
prima facie compliance with Proposition 215 and Senate Bill 420. IV. “CONCENTRATED CANNABIS,” OR “HASHISH,” IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE MEANING OF “MARIJUANA” AS USED IN SECTION 11362.5 AND POSSESSION OF EITHER IS NOT A VIOLATION OF SECTION 11357 IF REQUIREMENTS OF 11362.5 ARE MET. At issue in this case is whether Mr. Thayer has the right to possess medicinal concentrated cannabis under California law. There
is no question that “concentrated cannabis,” as specified in the Complaint, is included within the meaning of “marijuana” as used in Proposition 215, codified as Health & Safety Code section 11362.5. See, Opinion of Attorney General Bill Lockyer. “Concentrated
cannabis or hashish is included within the meaning of ‘marijuana’ as that term is used in the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.” 86 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 180 at 7 (2003). To reach this conclusion, the Attorney General looked to the structure of the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act (Health & Saf. Code §§ 11000-11651), which includes the Compassionate Use Act (section 11362.5), and contains the following definition of marijuana in section 11018: 6
“Marijuana” means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin. It does not include the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination. By comparison, for purposes of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, “concentrated cannabis” is defined in section 11006.5 as “the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from marijuana.” The definition of marijuana set forth in section 11018 includes concentrated cannabis. “Concentrated cannabis is the ‘separated
resin. . .obtained from marijuana’ (section 11006.5) and thus constitutes ‘the resin extracted from any part of the plant’ (section 11018)” 86 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 180 at 6 (2003). In 1991, Attorney General Daniel Lundgren noted that Health and Safety Code section 11379.6 (outlining penalties for the manufacture of controlled substances) was “directed to the chemical production of controlled substances and not their horticultural production” suggesting that the production of marijuana did not amount to the chemical production of a controlled substance. 70 at 4 (1991[sgh1]). 74 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen.
Thus, the opinions of successive Attorneys
General of California conclude that THC resin, concentrated cannabis and/or hashish are all “marijuana” as defined in section 11018. Possession of concentrated cannabis is not a violation of section 11357 if the requirements of section 11362.5(d) are met. Section 11362.5(d) states in its entirety that: Section 11357, relating to the possession of marijuana, and section 11358, relating to the cultivation of marijuana, shall not apply to the patient, or to the patient’s primary caregiver, who possesses or cultivates marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician. Section 11362.5(d). In circumstances where concentrated
cannabis is intended to be distinguished from ordinary marijuana, section 11357 uses the phrase “other than concentrated cannabis.” There is no language to similarly distinguish concentrated cannabis from ordinary marijuana in the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. “Where a statute on a particular subject omits a particular provision, the inclusion of such a provision in another statute concerning a related matter indicates an intent that the provision is not applicable to the statute from which it was omitted.” Marsh v. Edwards Theatres Circuit, Inc. (1976) 64 Cal.App.3d 881, 891; see also Traverso v. People ex rel. Dept. of Transportation (1993) 6 Cal.4th 1152, 1166 (“It is a well-settled principle of statutory construction that '[w]here a statute, with reference to one subject contains a given provision, the omission of such provision from a
similar statute concerning a related subject ... is significant to show that a different intention existed.’” (quoting People v. Drake (1977) 19 Cal.3d 749, 755)) ; Holmes v. Jones (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 882, 890 (“Where the Legislature applies a term or phrase in one statute. . . but excludes it in another. . . it should not be implied where excluded.”); People ex rel. Lungren v. Peron, supra, 59 Cal.App.4th at p. 1392 (“We may not infer exceptions to our criminal laws when legislation spells out the chosen exceptions with such precision and specificity” (quoting People v. Trippet (1997) 56 Cal.App.4th at 1550.)) Moreover, the provisions of section 11362.5(d) specifically render section 11357 inapplicable and it is section 11357 which defines the penalty for possession of concentrated cannabis. Thus,
it is not appropriate to construe the use of ‘marijuana’ in section 11362.5 as exclusive of concentrated cannabis or hashish. Attorney General Lockyer found no indication in the ballot materials for Proposition 215 that the voters intended to differentiate between concentrated cannabis and ordinary marijuana when either is used for medical purposes. 86 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 180 at 7 (2003). “Proposition 215 was approved by the voters without
specificity as to the strength, quality, or quantity of marijuana to be used for medical purposes as long as the use is reasonably related to the patient's current medical needs and was recommended or approved by a physician.” (See People v. Mower, supra, 28 Cal.4th 9
at pp. 471-474; People v. Galambos, supra, 104 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1161-1162, 1165-1168; People v. Rigo, supra, 69 Cal.App.4th at pp. 413, 415; People ex rel. Lungren v. Peron, 59 Cal.App.4th at p. 1394; People v. Trippet, supra, 56 Cal.App.4th at pp.1545-1549.) Id. V. UNDER SECTION 11362.5(D), LEGAL POSSESSION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS PREDICATED SOLELY UPON THE VALID RECOMMENDATION OR APPROVAL OF A PHYSICIAN. The clear meaning of section 11362.5 is that the presence of a valid recommendation or approval for the medical use of marijuana is sufficient to establish a defendant’s legal possession. Moreover, a
defendant does not bear the burden of proving that he or she is seriously ill. The appellant in People v. Spark was found guilty after raising a medical use defense. He then argued that the jury instruction was
erroneous because it required a finding that the defendant was seriously ill as one of the elements of the defense. Spark (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 259 at 262. People v.
The Court of Appeal in
Spark held that the critical factor in a compassionate use of marijuana defense under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 was approval of a physician, not a jury’s determination of the severity of illness. Id. at 268. The appropriateness of the medical use of
marijuana is a medical issue and, as such, is not to be secondguessed or otherwise impugned by jurors who may not find a patients condition to be sufficiently serious. Id.
It was the intent of the electorate in passing the Compassionate Use Act to allow for the medicinal use of marijuana upon the recommendation of a physician. As the electorate adopted
the law at issue through a ballot initiative, the court looks first to the words of the statute as indicia of the electorate’s intent. Id at 267; People v. Hernandez (2003) 30 Cal.4th 835, 865-867. Section 11362.5(b)(1)(A) states in relevant part that “seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit…” The following subdivision, (b)(1)(B), states another purpose of section 11362.5 as being “to ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction.” Id. at 268. As to the relevance of the degree of seriousness of a patient’s illness, the court in Spark noted that the phrase “seriously ill” only appears in the prefatory, or purpose statement, of the Act. Id. at 267. That phrase is conspicuous only in its absence from section
11362.5(d) which sets forth the inapplicability of section 11357 to persons acting upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician.
Further, the court[sgh2] in Spark observed that none of the published opinions addressing the Act assumed or suggested that the compassionate use defense included the state of being “seriously ill” as one of the facts underlying the defense. Id. at 268. The Court of Appeal noted that this language was absent in: People v. Jones (2003) 112 Cal.App.4th 341 (defendant's testimony that his doctor told him that use of marijuana for migraine headaches "might help, go ahead" was sufficient evidence to raise reasonable doubt over fact of doctor's approval); People v. Galambos (2002) 104 Cal.App.4th 1147(“[section 11362.5] grants a limited immunity from prosecution for the cultivation or possession of marijuana by either a patient or the patient's primary caregiver who possesses or cultivates marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician”); People v. Fisher (2002) 96 Cal.App.4th 1147; People v. Bianco (2001) 93 Cal.App.4th 748; People v. Rigo (1999) 69 Cal.App.4th 409; People ex rel. Lungren v. Peron (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 1383; and People v. Trippet (1997) 56 Cal.App.4th 1532[sgh3]. VI. THE RECOMMENDATION OR APPROVAL OF A PHYSICIAN IS SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH THAT SECTION 11357 DOES NOT APPLY TO MR. THAYER. At issue is whether Mr. Thayer’s status as a qualified patient with the approval of a physician is sufficient to establish his 12
right to possess concentrated medicinal cannabis under section 11362.5. The court in Spark explicitly followed the court in Mower,
noting that court’s reference to the defense of compassionate use as “the section 11362.5(d) defense” and “the defense provided by section 11362.5(d)”. Spark at 268; see Mower, supra, at 464, 476. If section 11362.5(d) was intended to allow for possession for personal medical purposes only in the presence of both (1) the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician, and (2) the presence of serious illness, it would certainly say so. the Court of Appeal held in Spark that not only is the recommendation or approval of a physician sufficient for the purposes of section 11362.5(d), but serious illness is not one of the facts underlying the section 11362.5(d) defense. Moreover, the Thus,
court in Spark held the mere mention of the seriousness of illness in a jury instruction to be prejudicial and fatally erroneous. Id. at 269. Defendant’s possession of marijuana cannot be more criminal than the possession of any prescription drug with a physician's prescription, to paraphrase the Mower court. At the outset, the
grant of limited immunity created by section 11362.5 creates a bar to this Court’s jurisdiction over the complaint. As found by the
Office of the Attorney General, Concentrated cannabis is included in the meaning of marijuana and is not intended to be distinguished from it for the purposes of section 11362.5. 13 Furthermore, as held
by the court in Spark, it is the plain meaning of section 11362.5 that that legal possession of marijuana under the statute depends upon the valid recommendation or approval of a physician and is not limited to those patients deemed by a jury to be seriously ill. Under People v. Wong Sam, this Court may consider material related to the issue at hand but “outside the four corners of the complaint.” Mr. Thayer is a qualified patient, acting upon the
written recommendation and approval of a physician as established by Exhibit A. Therefore, defendant respectfully requests that the
Court follow the spirit and letter of Proposition 215 (codified as Health & Safety Code § 11362.5) and Senate Bill 420 (codified as Health & Safety Code §§ 11362.7-11362.83) by dismissing the complaint forthwith so that he is freed from criminal prosecution.
CONCLUSION Defendant respectfully requests that the motion to dismiss the complaint be sustained and that any Complaint alleging the aforementioned charges be dismissed without leave to amend.
OMAR FIGUEROA Attorney for Defendant LUCAS A. THAYER 14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PROOF OF SERVICE The undersigned declares: I am a citizen of the United States. My business I am address is 506 Broadway, San Francisco, California 94133. action. On the date set forth below, I caused a true copy of the within NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION TO DISMISS COMPLAINT, 15
over the age of eighteen years and not a party to the within
AND MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES to be served on the following parties in the following manner:
Orange District Attorney 4601 Jamboree Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663 Phone: (949) 476-4650 VIA PERSONAL SERVICE
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, and that this declaration is executed on ___________, June____, 2005, at San Francisco, California.
_________________ OMAR FIGUEROA
Medical Marijuana - Motion to dismiss Figueroa by 420207 viewsEmbedDownloadRead on Scribd mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android.Copyright: Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)Download as PDF, TXT or read online from ScribdFlag for inappropriate contentMore informationShow less
RelatedMedical Marijuana - People v Youngby 420Marijuana analysisby kevindolakMedical Marijuana - People v Urziceanuby 420United States v. Carl O. Ludwig, 508 F.2d 140, 10th Cir. (1974)by Scribd Government DocsMedical Marijuana - HR 1717 Textby 420BOARD BILL NO. 275 CS by samtlevinWhite Paper 1stby kshastry1990Letter to the Moscow Timesby kriskee13Justice Talkingby mizbigspenda09.23.14 Pc Packet Part 2.2by PlanningCommissionFinal With Highlighted Revisionsby rbargoilSynthesis Essayby ljkidMMJNEWS Steven Lubell - Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act Summaryby ericblair99Legalization of Marijuanaby Наталья СтилсонSummary of Draft Marijuana Bill Amendmentby SevenDaysVermont59e87c54ac3cc5bee2d1c9f2267960a6by reasonorgRebuttal to Christian Science Monitor's Editorial Boardby Steve CathcartGardening :: Harry J. Anslinger and the Campaign against Marijuanaby 6vegetableseedsGetting a Medical Marijuana License - A State-by-State Guideby Dash ThomasLetter, Notice, Proposed Filings Draftby benmurraycaseCompassionate Apothecary Decisionby Mark RanzenbergerDPA Fact Sheet Marijuana Decriminalization and Legalization April2014by webmaster@drugpolicy.orgThe Least You Need to Know-Medical Marijuanaby WoodridgeturtleCannabis Fact Sheetby ondegroFactSheet Marijuana Regulationby webmaster@drugpolicy.orgMedical Marijuana - CHP policy updateby 420Slideshowby Kate FitzOpen Letter from Mayors | Nov. 23, 2011by Vancouver 24 HoursSimilar to Medical Marijuana - Motion to dismiss FigueroaMedical Marijuana - People v YoungMarijuana analysisMedical Marijuana - People v UrziceanuUnited States v. Carl O. Ludwig, 508 F.2d 140, 10th Cir. (1974)Medical Marijuana - HR 1717 TextBOARD BILL NO. 275 CS White Paper 1stLetter to the Moscow TimesJustice Talking09.23.14 Pc Packet Part 2.2Final With Highlighted RevisionsSynthesis EssayMMJNEWS Steven Lubell - Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act SummaryLegalization of MarijuanaSummary of Draft Marijuana Bill Amendment59e87c54ac3cc5bee2d1c9f2267960a6Rebuttal to Christian Science Monitor's Editorial BoardGardening :Getting a Medical Marijuana License - A State-by-State GuideLetter, Notice, Proposed Filings DraftCompassionate Apothecary DecisionDPA Fact Sheet Marijuana Decriminalization and Legalization April2014The Least You Need to Know-Medical MarijuanaCannabis Fact SheetFactSheet Marijuana RegulationMedical Marijuana - CHP policy updateSlideshowOpen Letter from Mayors | Nov. 23, 2011The cannabis customers as subject criminalized
Arguments and Rebuttals Measure SMedical Marijuana - Motion to dismiss Figueroa