Opinion ID: 1349795
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Balance Scale

Text: The record establishes that the balance scale at issue was found on a shelf in a cabinet of a bedroom of the Merrill residence and that it is of a type which is commonly used to weigh drugs, particularly marijuana. Although the counter balancing trays were missing, there was evidence that the scale nevertheless was usable by placing a substance into a plastic bag and then placing the bag on the scale. There was therefore an adequate foundation for its admission. However, Merrill was charged with manufacturing and possessing marijuana and with possessing methamphetamine. The record does not explain how the scale was used in the commission of any of those crimes. We can understand that a scale would be a useful tool in packaging a substance for distribution, but not how it could be a tool in manufacturing a substance which is grown, be it marijuana or oregano. Neither do we understand how a scale could be a tool required to possess either marijuana or methamphetamine. Accordingly, the scale is not relevant and suggests a decision on an improper basis, namely, that Merrill lived in an environment from which drugs were distributed. The district court therefore erred in receiving the scale in evidence.