Court Opinion

ID: 9724454
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:57:05.73509+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:00.562306
License: Public Domain

T. G. Kavanagh, J.
(concurring). I agree that the statutes here considered do not violate either the State or Federal Constitution, not because they establish reasonable classifications but because they don’t classify at all.
CLS 1961, § 335.152 (Stat Ann 1957 Rev §18-.1122), and CLS 1961, § 335.153 (Stat Ann 1957 Rev §18.1123) are written:
“Sec. 2. Any person not having a license under the provisions of Act No. 343 of the Public Acts of 1937, as amended, being sections 335.51 to 335.78, inclusive, of the Compiled Laws of 1948, who shall sell, manufacture, produce, administer, dispense or prescribe any narcotic drug shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the State prison for a term of not less than 20 years nor more than life.
“Sec. 3. Any person not having a license as required under the provisions of Act No. 343 of the *485Public Acts of 1937, as amended, being sections 335-.51 to 335.78, inclusive, of tbe Compiled Laws of 1948, who shall possess or have under his or her control any narcotic drug shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof, for tbe first offense shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 10 years, and a fine of not more than $5,000.00. In the discretion of the court the sentence for any such imprisonment or fine may be suspended, or the person convicted may be placed on probation for a term of years within the limits for which a sentence of imprisonment may be given. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section who shall previously have been convicted of any violation of the laws of the United States or of Michigan relating to the possession, sale, manufacture, production, administering, dispensing or prescribing of any narcotic drugs shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 20 years and a fine of not more than $5,000.00. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this act who shall previously have been convicted 2 or more times of violating the laws of the United States or of Michigan relating to the possession, sale, manufacture, production, administering, dispensing or prescribing of any narcotic drugs shall .be punished by imprisonment for not less than 20 years or more than 40 years and a fine of not more than $5,000.00.
“The offenses set forth in this section and in section 4 shall be deemed to be included within every offense charged as a violation of section 2 of this act.”
I do not read these sections to differentiate between wrongdoers according to whether they are “licensed”.
In my view these sections must be read as though they were written:
Sec. 2. Any person not having a license under the *486provisions of Act No 343 Compiled Laws 1948, So to do, who shall sell, manufacture, et cetera.
Sec. 3. Any person not having a license as required under the provisions of Act No 343 Compiled Laws 1948, So to do, who shall possess or have, et cetera.'
Accordingly any person charged under these sections with the sale or possession of narcotics can escape punishment only by establishing his authority under Act No 343 for such sale or possession.
Were I to read these sections as creating a classification between “licensed” and “unlicensed” as the basis for permitting different punishments for the same prohibited act such distinction to my mind would be completely unreasonable and unconstitutional.