In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases-Report 2016-09

216 So. 3d 497
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 27, 2017
DocketSC16-1692
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 216 So. 3d 497 (In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases-Report 2016-09) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases-Report 2016-09, 216 So. 3d 497 (Fla. 2017).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (Committee) has submitted proposed changes to the standard jury instructions and asks that the Court authorize the amended standard instructions for publication and use. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

The Committee proposed amending the following standard criminal jury instructions: 25.2 (Sale, Purchase, Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession with Intent to Sell, Purchase, Manufacture, or Deliver a Controlled Substance); 25.3 (Sale, Purchase, Delivery, or Possession in Excess of Ten Grams of a Controlled Substance); 25.4 (Delivery of a Controlled Substance To or Use of Minor); 25.5 (Bringing a Controlled Substance into the State); 25.6 (Sell, Manufacture, Deliver, or Possession with Intent to Sell, Manufacture or Deliv *498 er a Controlled Substance in Specified Locations); 25.7 (Possession of a Controlled Substance); 25.8 (Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud, Etc.); 25.9 (Trafficking in Cannabis); 25.10 (Trafficking in Cocaine); 25.11 (Trafficking in [Morphine] [Opium] [Hydromorphone] [Heroin] [ (Specific Substance Alleged) ]); 25.11(a) (Trafficking in Hydrocodone); 25.11(b) (Trafficking in Oxycodone); 25.12 (Trafficking in Phencyclidine); 25.13 (Trafficking in Methaqualone); 25.13(a) (Trafficking in [Amphetamine] [Methamphetamine]); 25.13(b) (Trafficking in Flunitrazepam); 25.13(c) (Trafficking in [GHB] [GBL] [1,4-Butanediol]); 25.13(d) (Trafficking in Phenethylamines (Includes MDMA)); 25.13(e) (Trafficking in LSD); 25.14 (Use or Possession with Intent to Use Drug Paraphernalia); 25.15 (Delivery, Possession with Intent to Deliver, or Manufacture with Intent to Deliver Drug Paraphernalia); 25.16 (Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia to a Minor); 25.17 (Contraband in County Detention Facility); 25.18 (Contraband in Juvenile [Detention Facility] [Commitment Program]); 25.20 (Possession of Contraband [In] [Upon the Grounds of] a State Correctional Institution); and 25.21 ([Introduction] [Removal] of Contraband [Into] [From] a State Correctional Institution). The Committee published its proposals in The Florida Bar News. One comment was received by the Committee. The Court did not publish the proposals after they were filed.

Having considered the Committee’s report and the comment submitted to the Committee, we amend the standard jury instructions as proposed by the Committee, and authorize them for publication and use. 1

We note the following significant changes to the jury instructions as amended. First, regarding Instructions 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.5, 25.6, 25.7, 25.8, 25.17, 25.18, 25.20, and 25.21, the italicized note above the “Affirmative defense—Lack of knowledge of illicit nature” section is simplified by replacing “Give if there is evidence that the defendant 1) did not know of the presence of the substance or 2) knew of the presence of the substance, but did not know of its illicit nature” with “Give if applicable.”

Next, in Instructions 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.5, 25.6, 25.7, 25.8, 25.17, 25.18, 25.20, and 25.21, the sentence “(Defendant) has raised this defense” is removed from the “Affirmative defense—Lack of knowledge of illicit nature” instruction itself.

Last, in Instructions 25.2 and 25.7, the statutory references to sections 893.03(l)(c)(46)-50, 114-142, 151-159, and 166-173, Florida Statutes, are removed from the Comments section of Instruction 25.2 and the fourth element of the crime and Lesser Included Offenses table of Instruction 25.7. These amendments track recent statutory changes, by which the Legislature removed references to synthetic cannabis from section 893.13(6)(b), Florida Statutes (2016). See Ch. 2016-105, § 5, Laws of Fla. Additionally, in Instructions 25.2, 25.5, 25.6, 25.7, 25.8, and 25.9, the phrase “medical marijuana” is replaced with “medical cannabis” and the statutory reference for the definitions of “medical cannabis” and “low-THC cannabis” in the Comments section of the instructions is updated. These changes are consistent with recent legislative changes. See Ch. 2016-123, Laws of Fla.

The amended criminal jury instructions, as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, are hereby authorized for publication and use. 2 New language is indicated by under *499 lining, and deleted language is indicated by struck-through type. In authorizing the publication and use of these instructions, we express no opinion on their correctness and remind all interested parties that this authorization forecloses neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor contesting the legal correctness of the instructions. We further caution all interested parties that any comments associated with the instructions reflect only the opinion of the Committee and are not necessarily indicative-of the views of this Court as to their correctness or applicability. The instructions as set forth in the appendix shall become effective when this opinion becomes final.

It is so ordered.

LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, and LAWSON, JJ., concur.

APPENDIX

*500 25.2 SALE, PURCHASE, MANUFACTURE, DELIVERY, OR POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO SELL, PURCHASE, MANUFACTURE, OR DELIVER A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

§ 893.13(1 )(a) and (2)(a), Fla. Stat.

Certain drugs and chemical substances are by law known as “controlled substances.” (Specific substance alleged) is a controlled substance.

To prove the crime of (crime charged), the State must prove the following three elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. (Defendant) [sold] [manufactured] [delivered] [purchased] [possessed with intent to [sell] [manufacture] [deliver] [purchase]] a certain substance.

2. The substance was (specific substance alleged).

3. (Defendant) had knowledge of the presence of the substance.

Delivery of 20 Grams or Less of Cannabis without consideration is a misdemeanor. See § 893.13(3), Fla. Slat. If the State charges the felony of Delivery of More Than 20 Grams of Cannabis, the jury must malee a finding as to the weight. Give if applicable.

If you find that (defendant) is guilty of Delivery of Cannabis, you must then determine if the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the cannabis weighed more than 20 grams.

Definitions. Give as applicable.

Cannabis. §§§893.02(3); 893.13(3); 893.13(6)(b), Fla. Stats.

See Comment section for medical marijuana.

Cannabis means all parts of any plant of the genus Cannabis, whether growing or not and the seeds thereof.

Sell.

“Sell” means to transfer or deliver something to another person in exchange for money or something of value or a promise of money or something of value.

*501 Manufacture, § 893,02(15)(a), Fla, Stat.

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216 So. 3d 497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-standard-jury-instructions-in-criminal-cases-report-2016-09-fla-2017.