Opinion ID: 2064797
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether Contraband Includes Marijuana

Text: Defendant's final claim is that prison contraband does not include marijuana. 17-A M.R.S.A. § 757 defines contraband by reference to 17-A M.R.S.A. § 756, subsection 2, which provides: As used in this section, `contraband' means a dangerous weapon, any tool or other thing that may be used to facilitate a violation of section 755, or any other thing which a person confined in official custody is prohibited by statute or regulation from making or possessing.  (Emphasis added) Defendant makes two arguments. First, noting that 17-A M.R.S.A. § 755 referred to in the first sentence of section 756 deals with escapes from official custody, defendant contends that contraband includes only those things which aid in escapes. Second, defendant argues that the term prohibited by statute in the second sentence of the statute refers to criminal, not civil prohibitions. [7] We find no merit in defendant's position. The definition of contraband in section 756, incorporated by reference into section 757, reaches beyond the instrumentalities of escape to include in broad terms any other thing which a person confined in official custody is prohibited by statute or by regulation from making or possessing. The possession of marijuana is prohibited by statute. 22 M.R.S.A. § 2383 makes possession of a usable amount of marijuana a civil violation. Nothing in the language of section 756 or 757 excludes things subject to civil prohibition from the contraband that an inmate is prohibited from possessing. Accordingly, the entry must be: Appeal denied. Judgment affirmed. ARCHIBALD, J., did not sit.