Court Opinion

ID: 9489183
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:08:21.079437+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:22.867273
License: Public Domain

BARRETT, Senior Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. My review of the case law leads me to conclude that in order to be sentenced based on the number of plants rather than the weight of marijuana, the defendant must be a grower of marijuana.
The circuits which have considered this issue, including this circuit, are unanimous that in amending 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(l)(A)(ii) and U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 to specifically include plants separately from the weight of the marijuana, Congress intended to punish growers of marijuana differently than those defendants who merely possess marijuana.
In United States v. Eves, 932 F.2d 856 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 884, 112 S.Ct. 236, 116 L.Ed.2d 192 (1991), we observed that in United States v. Fitol, 733 F.Supp. 1312 (D.Minn.1990), Judge Devitt “thoroughly reviewed the legislative history of the Sentencing Guidelines and concluded that:
by changing the determining factor from weight to number of “plants regardless of weight” Congress intended to punish growers of marijuana by the scale or potential of their operation and not just by the weight of the plants seized at a given moment. Congress must have found a defendant who is growing 100 newly planted marijuana plants to be just as culpable as one who has successfully grown 100 kilograms of marijuana.”
Eves, 932 F.2d at 859 (quoting Fitol, 733 F.Supp. at 1315).
In United States v. Lee, 957 F.2d 778, 784 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 978, 113 *1329S.Ct. 475, 121 L.Ed.2d 381 (1992), we stated that:
We must hold that the district court erred in finding/concluding that because a single marijuana plant could not produce a kilogram of marijuana substance, the statute punished defendants who grow marijuana plants more severely than those who possess harvested marijuana and is, accordingly, violative of equal protection guarantees.... We agree with Judge Devitt’s observation in Fitol, supra, that Congress intended to punish growers of marijuana by the scale or potential of their operation and not just the weight of the plants seized at a given moment. In our view, the cultivation of marijuana plants creates a greater potential for abuse than possession of harvested marijuana.
See also United States v. Jackson, 11 F.3d 953, 956 (10th Cir.1993) (“Rather, as we recognized in [Lee ], ‘Congress intended to punish growers of marijuana by the scale or potential of their operation and not just by the weight of the plants seized at a given moment.’ ”); United States v. Cody, 7 F.3d 1523, 1528 (10th Cir.1993) (The equivalency provision “is a reflection of Congress’ belief that growing a large number of plants (capable of large scale distribution) is an exponentially more severe offense than growing a small number.”) (quoting United States v. Osburn, 955 F.2d 1500, 1508 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 878 & 901, 113 S.Ct. 223 & 290, 121 L.Ed.2d 160 & 215 (1992)); United States v. Occhipinti 998 F.2d 791, 802 (10th Cir.1993) (“[W]e rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the minimum sentencing provisions found at 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(l)(B)(vii), holding that Congress rationally ‘intended to punish growers of marijuana by the scale or potential of their operation and not just the weight of the plants seized at a given moment.’ ”) (quoting Lee, 957 F.2d at 784).
Based on Eves, Occhipinti from this circuit and the decisions of the eight other circuits cited by the majority 1,1 would hold that a defendant cannot be sentenced based on the number of marijuana plants as opposed to the actual weight of the marijuana under the equivalency provision of U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 unless he or she is grower of marijuana.
Unlike the majority, I do not view these cases as simply stating one reason for Congress’ enactment of the one planVone kilogram equivalency. In holding that Congress intended to punish growers with this “stepped-up punishment,” the courts have recognized the anomaly created where individuals at different stages in production are treated much differently, evidencing that the harsher sentencing provision was not intended to extend further down the chain of production. See United States v. Osburn, 955 F.2d 1500, 1509 (11th Cir.) (the market-oriented approach “mandates different treatment for individuals involved in different aspects of the distribution of a drug.”), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 878 & 901, 113 S.Ct. 223 & 290, 121 L.Ed.2d 160 & 215 (1992). See also United States v. Rogers, 1993 WL 12672 (10th Cir.1993) (“It is true that a marijuana grower, arrested prior to harvesting, is sentenced on a one kilogram-per-plant basis. On the other hand, a marijuana grower, arrested immediately after harvesting, is sentenced according to the actual weight of the marijuana,_”).
Significantly, there is no evidence that Silvers engaged in the process of “growing” marijuana in Kansas. To the contrary, the evidence relating to the marijuana in question was limited to Wolfe’s testimony summarizing the manner in which she located the fields of wild marijuana, (Appendix of Appellant at 120-22, 123-25, 126-27), and Mintz’s testimony summarizing his travels to Kansas to set up a base operation for harvesting and processing the wild marijuana. Id. at 128-*133032, 133-35. The government s case against Silvers was predicated upon his participation in harvesting wild marijuana and his possession of harvested wild marijuana with the intent to distribute it. The government did not present any evidence that Silvers had engaged in growing marijuana in Kansas nor that Silvers had ever possessed any marijuana plants.
Therefore, I would vacate the sentence imposed on Silvers and remand for resen-tencing on the basis of the weight of the marijuana involved.

. See United States v. Carvell, 74 F.3d 8, 9 n. 1 (1st Cir.1996); United States v. Proyect, 989 F.2d 84, 88 (2d Cir.); United States v. Murphy, 979 F.2d 287, 290 (2nd Cir.1992); United States v. Fletcher, 74 F.3d 49, 55 (4th Cir.1996); United States v. Heater, 63 F.3d 311, 322 (4th Cir.1995); United States v. Stevens, 25 F.3d 318, 320-23 (6th Cir.1994); United States v. Holmes, 961 F.2d 599, 601 (6th Cir.); United States v. Young, 34 F.3d 500, 506 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Smith, 961 F.2d 1389, 1390 (8th Cir.1992); United States v. Wegner, 46 F.3d 924, 926 (9th Cir.1995); United States v. Foree, 43 F.3d 1572, 1581 (11th Cir.1995).