Opinion ID: 2491001
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Habitual and Excessive Use of Opium, Morphine, or Other Like Drug

Text: ¶ 29. Mississippi Code Section 93-5-1 (Rev.2004) lists habitual and excessive use of opium, morphine, or other like drug as a ground for divorce. A grant of divorce on this ground requires the plaintiff to establish that the spouse's drug use was (1) habitual and frequent, (2) excessive and uncontrollable, and (3) that involved opium, morphine, or drugs with a similar effect as opium or morphine. Ladner v. Ladner, 436 So.2d 1366, 1375 (Miss. 1983).
¶ 30. Habitual use is established by showing that the spouse customarily and frequently used drugs. Ladner, 436 So.2d at 1373. Stacy presented evidence that James began smoking marijuana at the age of fourteen, and his use continued until the age of fifty-five. James concedes that his drug use was habitual and frequent, testifying that he had used marijuana almost daily. As a result, we find substantial evidence in the record to support the chancellor's finding that James's drug use was habitual and frequent.
¶ 31. Excessive drug use requires a showing that the offending spouse abused drugs. Ladner, 436 So.2d at 1373-1374. The offending spouse must be so addicted to the use of drugs that he cannot control his appetite for drugs whenever the opportunity to obtain drugs is present. Id. ¶ 32. James argues that his drug use was casual, it relaxed him, and he was not dependent on it. The evidence shows the contrary. Stacy and James testified that James had attempted to stop smoking marijuana several times, quitting for weeks at a time. But, as James stated himself, he always went back to it. ¶ 33. James argues that his drug use was not as serious as that of the spouses in Ladner and Ashburn. In Ladner, the spouse deceitfully obtained numerous prescription drugs from multiple doctors. Ladner, 436 So.2d at 1369. He abused the prescription drugs continuously for four years and exceeded the prescribed dosages. Id. The spouse's drug use negatively affected his attitude, actions, work habits, and family and social relationships. Id. The wife testified that her husband was hyperactive in the morninghaving taken Ritalinand practically immobile in the eveningafter taking tranquilizers. Id. He worked only two days per week and spent the rest of the time in idleness and agitation. Id. He also ceased communicating with friends. Id. Because of his drug habit, the spouse had squandered his son's savings account, and had taken many valuable items from the home. Id. ¶ 34. Likewise, in Ashburn, the spouse's drug use was excessive and uncontrollable. In this case, the wife abused prescription drugs throughout the marriage, also deceitfully obtaining prescriptions and exceeding the prescribed dosages. Ashburn, 970 So.2d at 207 (¶ 7). She once left home and did not return for weeks. Id. The husband testified that his wife would be yelling one day and drooling in a drug-induced state the next. Id. at 208 (¶ 8). She forged his name on checks and also stole someone else's written prescription. Id. at 208 (¶¶ 8-9). The wife's drug use increased to the point where she used a three-month supply of pills in one month and overdosed. Id. at 208 (¶ 7). ¶ 35. The extent of James's addiction may not be as drastic as that of the spouses in Ladner and Ashburn, but it is obvious that James had a problem. Quitting for weeks at a time but then always going back to achieve a high is the nature of addiction. Like the spouse in Ladner, James abused the drug almost daily for years-approximately forty years in James's case. This is evidence that, at the time, James could not control his appetite for marijuana. Also, the chancellor found that James's marijuana use negatively impacted his interaction with his family, work productivity, and the family's financial stability. There is substantial evidence in the record to support the chancellor's findings. Thus, we hold that the chancellor did not err by finding that James's drug use was excessive and uncontrollable.
¶ 36. Next, James argues that Stacy failed to prove that marijuana is an other like drug similar to opium or morphine. In Section 93-5-1, the language other like drug does not mean a drug similar in chemical makeup to opium or morphine. Ladner, 436 So.2d at 1374. Instead, it refers to drugs with similar adverse effects. [8] Id. at 1374-1375 (finding that spouse's abuse of prescription drugs produced similar effects as abuse of opium or morphine). In Ladner, the Court set forth factors to consider, along with other relevant circumstances, to determine whether a drug is an other like drug for purposes of Section 93-5-1: [S]uch factors as the guilty spouse's inability to support his wife and family or to properly attend to business should be considered. Additionally, the guilty spouse's incapacity to perform other marital duties or his causing the marital relationship to be repugnant to the innocent spouse are equally important. Id. at 1375. ¶ 37. In this case, the chancellor determined that James's marijuana use had isolated him from the family and had caused him to botch a costly printing job. Consequently, James was demoted, and the chancellor determined that this had negatively impacted the family's finances. ¶ 38. James points out that neither party cited a decision in which a divorce was granted based on marijuana use alone. We are not convinced that the absence of such a decision has any bearing on this case. ¶ 39. James argues that no credible evidence supported the chancellor's finding that his marijuana use interfered with his ability to support and interact with his family and that his marijuana use caused the marital relationship to be repugnant to Stacy. Instead, James maintains that the evidence shows that Stacy sexually withdrew from him, pursued her own activities, and engaged in extramarital affairs. But the chancellor is the finder of fact, and the assessment of witness credibility lies within his sole province. Sproles, 782 So.2d at 746 (¶ 12). The chancellor resolved any conflicts in the evidence in favor of Stacy, and the evidence supports his decision. ¶ 40. The evidence shows that the family's financial problems were due mainly to James's layoffs. But by smoking marijuana, James, at least once, affected his work productivity and lost his bonus pay. In addition, he continued to purchase marijuana during the family's economic troubles. James maintains that his marijuana expenditures were minimal and did not affect the family's income. But he cannot escape the fact that spending money on illegal drugs is wasteful, especially when the family is suffering financially. [9] According to Stacy, James's drug use created a routine in their marriage by which he would work, come home, use drugs and then sit on the couch or stay on the computer all night. Perhaps he did not isolate himself from his children, but he definitely isolated himself from Stacy. Stacy was worried that James would get arrested for possession of marijuana. And although Stacy did not give James an ultimatum, she was exasperated over his failed attempts to remain clean, causing her to file for divorce. ¶ 41. The evidence supports the chancellor's finding that James's marijuana use had a like effect to the use of opium or morphine. James evidenced an inability to support his family and to properly attend to business. This made the marriage repugnant to Stacy. Accordingly, we hold that the chancellor did not err by finding that James's drug use involved opium, morphine, or a drug with a similar effect.