Opinion ID: 890157
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Whether there was sufficient evidence for the District Court to convict Johnson of the charge of criminal possession of marijuana.

Text: ¶ 30 Section 45-9-102, MCA, the statute under which Johnson was charged, specifies that, except as provided under the MMA, a person commits the offense of criminal possession of dangerous drugs if the person possesses any dangerous drug, as defined in XX-XX-XXX. Consequently, to support a conviction for possession of marijuana, the State had to show that Johnson was not shielded from prosecution by the MMA, and that she possessed a dangerous drug. The State met its burden in this case. ¶ 31 First, the evidence showed that Johnson was in possession of a dangerous drug. Under §§ 50-32-101(6) and -222(4)(t), MCA, marijuana is listed as a Schedule 1 dangerous drug. Trooper Fowler testified at trial that Johnson had a baggie of marijuana in her possession when he pulled her over for driving erratically. And, Johnson herself asserts in her brief on appeal that [i]t is undisputed she possessed less than one ounce of marijuana. ¶ 32 Second, as we indicated in the previous issue, although Johnson possessed a Medical Marijuana Card, the MMA could not shield her from prosecution if she did not obtain the marijuana in her possession from her registered caregiver. Johnson's stepfather was her registered caregiver. He told Trooper Fowler on the night of the incident that he had not provided Johnson with the marijuana she had in her possession because his grow operation was not yet up and running. ¶ 33 Viewing the evidence in this case in a light most favorable to the prosecution as we are constrained to do, we conclude that any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Booth, ¶ 7; Azure, ¶ 13. ¶ 34 Accordingly, we hold that there was sufficient evidence for the District Court to convict Johnson of the charge of criminal possession of marijuana. ¶ 35 Affirmed. We Concur: BRIAN MORRIS, JIM RICE, BETH BAKER, and PATRICIA COTTER.