Information Management Services, Inc. v. Borough of Pleasant Hills

512 F. Supp. 1066, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11829
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 23, 1981
DocketCiv. A. 80-1613
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 512 F. Supp. 1066 (Information Management Services, Inc. v. Borough of Pleasant Hills) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Information Management Services, Inc. v. Borough of Pleasant Hills, 512 F. Supp. 1066, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11829 (W.D. Pa. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

TEITELBAUM, District Judge.

The matter sub judice represents another in the nationwide series of challenges to “drug paraphernalia” legislation. The instant case challenges a municipal ordinance, Ordinance No. 571 (hereinafter sometimes Ordinance), enacted on October 15, 1980 by the Borough of Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania 1 . This litigation was begun by the plaintiff as the operator of a novelty store in Pleasant Hills on November 7,1980. The jurisdiction of this Court was invoked under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343(3) and (4) for violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985.

When the complaint in this action was filed, the plaintiff also sought a temporary restraining order. Upon the representation of counsel for the defendants that the Ordinance would not be enforced pendente lite, the motion for a temporary restraining order was denied. Thereafter, the parties by virtue of the admission of facts in the answer and by stipulation of the exact terms of Ordinance No. 571 presented a justiciable controversy to this Court 2 . Moreover, the parties agreed that consideration of the request for permanent relief could be accelerated for disposition with the request for preliminary relief pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 65(a)(2). Having studied the merits of this case and having taken particular care to consider the severability clause of Ordinance No. 571, this Court finds, for the reasons set forth below, that the Ordinance is so incomprehensible as to be unconstitutionally vague. Since a declaratory judgment issued pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201 is a final appealable order and because this Court has no reason to believe that any attempt will be made to enforce Ordinance No. 571, no injunctive relief appears necessary at this time.

I.

Before considering the Ordinance in great depth, it is helpful to review the origins of the Ordinance and its relationship to the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act 3 ; the Uniform Controlled Substances Act 4 ; the Pennsylvania Controlled Substance, Device and Cosmetic Act, (hereinafter Pa.Cont. Sub.Act) 35 P.S. §§ 780-101 to 780-144; and a recent untitled amendment to the Pa.Cont.Sub. Act, Act No. 186,1980 Pa.Leg. Serv., (hereinafter Pa. Paraphernalia Amendment). As previously noted this is one of a nationwide series of actions challenging the constitutionality of various “drug paraphernalia” enactments. This wave of litigation appears to be the after *1068 math of the widely distributed Model Drug Paraphernalia Act drafted in August of 1979 by the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States Department of Justice. In drafting the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act, the Drug Enforcement Administration apparently hoped to eliminate what was described as a parasitic industry glamorizing drug abuse 5 .

As originally contemplated, the Model Act was a compilation of suggested amendments to the Uniform Controlled Substances Act which had been prepared by the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform Laws. The Model Drug Paraphernalia Act provides language for enactment in any jurisdiction with an occasional blank space and instructions on how best to fill the blank space to accommodate a specific jurisdiction. Given this background, the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act appears to have been designed to be compatible with the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

In 1972, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania adopted the Pa.Cont.Sub. Act as the Pennsylvania version of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. 6 On October 15, 1980, the Ordinance in the instant case was adopted using almost precisely the language contained in the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act. 7 On December 4, 1980, Pennsylvania adopted the Pa. Paraphernalia Amendment effective in sixty days, following the exact language suggested by the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act, as an amendment to the Pa.Cont.Sub. Act. 8 These substantial interrelationships suggest that some legitimate sources of legislative history for Ordinance No. 571 may be found in the Prefatory Note and Comments to the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act. Additionally, the compatibility of the Model Drug Paraphernalia Act to the Uniform Controlled Substances Act may provide assistance in determining how Ordinance No. 571 relates to the Pa. Cont.Sub. Act. Moreover, the Ordinance and the Pa. Paraphernalia Amendment, with their common language and antecedents, should also be subject to similar interpretations since the same Pennsylvania courts are obliged to interpret both. 9

II.

Having taken notice of the relationships of the Ordinance to the other materials, it is necessary to consider the language of the Ordinance in greater detail. Article I of the Ordinance contains its sole definition, the definition of drug paraphernalia. Article I can sensibly be divided into three parts: (1) the first sentence giving the one sentence general definition of drug para *1069 phernalia; (2) the words “[i]t includes, but is not limited to:” and the accompanying twelve part list; and, (3) the remainder of Article I consisting of the fourteen factors to be considered in determining whether an object is drug paraphernalia. These three parts do not appear to have been intended as three alternative or cumulative definitions. 10 Instead, part one appears to be the definition while parts two and three are guides to the interpretation of part one. Thus, the first sentence of Article I, when considered in light of the assistance in the remainder of the article, must stand or fall on its own terms.

III.

A clear definition of drug paraphernalia is essential since this term is used repeatedly throughout the Ordinance. If it is unclear what drug paraphernalia encompasses then it would be equally unclear what was prohibited conduct with respect to such paraphernalia. For this reason it is essential to consider the language of that first sentence closely. It reads:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Chastain
733 P.2d 1206 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1987)
Franza v. Carey
518 F. Supp. 324 (S.D. New York, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
512 F. Supp. 1066, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11829, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/information-management-services-inc-v-borough-of-pleasant-hills-pawd-1981.