MacLafferty v. United States

77 F.2d 715, 1935 U.S. App. LEXIS 4681
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMay 20, 1935
DocketNo. 7762
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 77 F.2d 715 (MacLafferty v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacLafferty v. United States, 77 F.2d 715, 1935 U.S. App. LEXIS 4681 (9th Cir. 1935).

Opinion

GARRECHT, Circuit Judge.

The appellant was convicted under two of the three counts of an indictment predicated upon a violation of the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Act (38 Stat. 785, 786, § 2, and § 1, as amended by 40 Stat. 1130, § 1006, as amended, [26 USCA §§ 692-696]).

Count I, omitting the formal allegations of jurisdiction, charged that appellant, on the 29th day of May, 1934, being a physician duly registered under the above-referred to acts, did knowingly and unlawfully sell, barter, and dispense to one Walter G. Graben, a compound, manufacture, and derivative of opium, to wit, approximately y oz. of tincture of opium, to wit, laudanum, not in pursuance of a form issued for that purpose by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of the United States, and not in good faith and in the course of his professional practice only; the said sale, bartering, and dispensing being through a written order to the said Walter G. Graben in the form of a prescription, which prescription called for delivery to “Ellen Gray” of the amount of drugs described. That the said Bernard N. MacLafferty intended that the said Walter G. Graben should obtain, on behalf of the said “Ellen Gray” upon said order, drugs of the amount and kind above described. That the said Walter G. Graben did not require the administration of said drugs for the treatment of any disease or malady. That the said appellant dispensed said drugs to satisfy the narcotic cravings of a nonexistent and fictitious person, to wit, “Ellen Gray,” represented by the said Walter G. Graben to be a narcotic addict; that the drugs so dispensed by the said appellant were in the form in which said drugs are usually consumed by persons addicted to the habitual use thereof to satisfy their cravings and were adapted to such consumption.

Counts II and III are in the same form as stated above, except that count II charges that the offense was committed on the 1st day of June, 1934, and that the prescription was delivered to Walter G. Graben and issued to “Frank Gray,” a nonexistent and fictitious person.

Count III charges that the .offense was committed on the 7th day of June, 1934, and that the prescription was delivered to Walter G. Graben in the name of one “John Harrison,” a nonexistent and fictitious person.

The government’s case in chief consisted of the testimony of Walter G. Graben, a narcotic agent, and Harry V. Williamson, Assistant District Supervisor of Narcotics. This testimony reveals that on the 29th day of May, 1934, Agents Graben and Williamson proceeded to Aberdeen, Wash., where appellant was engaged as a practicing physician. Agent Graben entered appellant’s office alone, Agent Williamson remaining outside the building in which appellant’s office was located. Mr. Graben informed appellant that he had a woman named “Ellen Gray” over at the Colby Hotel who was an addict and requested a prescription of laudanum for her. Graben testified that appellant “questioned me somewhat about her, and then he wrote a prescription * * *” to her for 2 oz. sweet oil and Y¿ oz. laudanum, with directions “5 drops warmed and dropped in the ear for pain.” Appellant delivered this prescription to Graben, who paid him $2. There was nothing said about where he was to get the prescription filled, but upon the back of the prescription was a printed name and address of Monarch Drug Company, Aber[716]*716deen. Graben turned the prescription over to Agent Williamson, after leaving appellant’s office. Williamson took the prescription to the Heikel Drug Store in Aberdeen, Wash., and was furnished a bottle containing 2 oz. sweet oil and 1/2 oz. laudanum.

On June 1, 1934, Agent Graben again went to appellant’s office, Agent Williamson having stationed himself a short distance from the main doorway on the outside of the office building. Graben informed appellant that he had come for another prescription; that the first prescription had been exhausted. Appellant asked the agent if he would object to the use of his name in the prescription. Agent Graben informed appellant that he would have no objection to the use of his name, and informed the appellant that his name was “Frank Gray.” Appellant then wrote a prescription to “Frank Gray” and delivered it to Agent Graben, who paid the appellant the sum of $2. This prescription called for 2 oz. sweet oil and 1/2 oz. laudanum.

On June 7, 1934, Agent Graben again visited appellant in his office, requesting another prescription. Appellant asked “What name will I use today?” and the agent gave him the- name “John Harrison” of Aberdeen, Wash. Appellant stated he would have to have a street number or hotel address. The agent suggested “Colby Hotel” as an address, but appellant refused to use that address again and stated he would make.it “Rte. 1,. Aberdeen, Wash.” Appellant then wrote a prescription to “John Harrison, Rte. 1, Aberdeen, Wash.,” calling for 2 oz. sweet oil and Já oz. laudanum, with the directions “5 drops warmed and dropped in ear for pain.” Appellant .then handed Graben this prescription and Graben paid appellant two $1 bills, the serial numbers of which had previously been noted. Graben delivered this prescription to his superior, Mr. Williamson, but the prescription was not filled.

Agent Williamson interviewed appellant with relation to the prescriptions of laudanum and sweet oil and obtained from the appellant the two $1 marked bills.. As a witness for the government, he testified: “I have been in the service of the United States for twenty-three years, and, ever since the passage of the Harrison .Narcotic Act, have been in that branch of the service. Before that, I was a registered druggist and had a number of years experience as such.” He then went on to say;

“Laudanum is a tincture of opium. A half ounce of laudanum contains twenty-two and a half grains of opium. That amount of opium contains about ten per cent morphine, so that each of these prescriptions contained twenty-two and one-half grains of opium, included in which was about two and one-half grains of morphine. This compound was not in the form in which addicts usually use narcotics, but I think that some addicts could run off the sweet oil, thus extracting the opium.
“An addict could not use this compound as it was but if the sweet oil was abstracted from the compound the residue could be subjected to heat causing the evaporation of the alcohol content and the residue would be principally opium which could then be put into solution and used hypodermically. This is not the usual practice, but it can be done.”

Appellant testified with reference to the prescription issued on May 29, 1934, which he identified as Government’s Exhibit'No. 1, that a woman who gave her name as “Ellen Gray” came to his office complaining of ear trouble and after an examination, which revealed an ear disease, he issued her a prescription, above referred to; that she paid the appellant the sum of $2 for the prescription. Appellant stated that he did not issue this prescription to Walter G. Graben and that Graben was not present.

In connection with the prescription issued June 1, 1934, appellant testified a stranger, who gave his name to be “Frank Gray,” came to his office, whom he did not recognize at the time of trial as Walter G. Graben. The patient complained of ear trouble and requested appellant to prescribe for it. After an examination, which disclosed that the ear was in an inflamed condition, appellant issued him the prescription referred to as Government’s Exhibit No. 2. Appellant received the sum of $2 for this prescription.

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Bluebook (online)
77 F.2d 715, 1935 U.S. App. LEXIS 4681, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maclafferty-v-united-states-ca9-1935.