McClary v. State

282 So. 2d 379, 51 Ala. App. 30, 1972 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 773
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedDecember 19, 1972
Docket1 Div. 239
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 282 So. 2d 379 (McClary v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McClary v. State, 282 So. 2d 379, 51 Ala. App. 30, 1972 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 773 (Ala. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

TYSON, Judge.

The indictment charged that Henry L. McClary “did unlawfully sell Phencyclidine Hydrochloride, a drug which produces on ingestion an hallucinatory effect, or induces a schizophrenic psychosis, to Getral A. Smith, against the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama.” Jury trial resulted in a conviction, and verdict and judgment fixed punishment at seven years imprisonment in the penitentiary.

As witness for the State, James G. Ward testified that he was a narcotics agent with the Alabama Department of Public Safety; that he had been an undercover agent engaged in making “buys” of illicit drugs for the past three years; that in the latter part of July, 1969, he had been doing undercover work of this type in the Mobile, Alabama, area.

Ward testified that he and his partner, Agent Smith, arrived in Mobile on July 23, 1969, and checked into the Albert Pick Motel. That night they went to a discotheque known as the “Flower Den.” While they were there, they made contact with appellant, who introduced himself as “Mad Dog” McClary, and three other persons. According to Ward, one of those persons with the appellant, later identified as James Ethridge, asked them what they were looking for, and Agent Smith replied that they were looking for drugs. Ethridge said that he thought he “could round some up.”

The next night, at approximately 9:30, appellant and a person known only as Paul came to the agents’ motel room. McClary said that he had thirty-four tablets of *32 THC he wanted to sell. Smith told the appellant that he would buy fifteen of the tablets and paid appellant $90.00 for the pills. Appellant kept the remaining nineteen pills.

According to the witness, Agent Smith placed the pills in a piece of paper, a napkin, and placed the napkin in a manila envelope. The envelope was sealed, then initialed by both agents. The envelope and the contents therein were identified by Ward in court. Ward stated that Smith kept the evidence in his possession until they returned to Montgomery the next day. At that time, Smith mailed the envelope containing the pills to Nelson Grubbs, a State toxicologist in Auburn, Alabama.

Gentral A. Smith, the aforementioned narcotics agent, was called as the State’s next witness. Smith’s testimony was for the most part substantially the same as Ward’s. Smith additionally testified that he had also purchased “five hits of acid” in capsule form at $6.00 a capsule from appellant on the date in question.

Smith further testified that after placing the fifteen capsules in a brown envelope, marked “State of Alabama,” he placed the envelope in his suitcase and locked it; and that no other person had a key to the suitcase. The suitcase was then placed in the trunk of his car where it remained until the agents arrived in Montgomery the next day. At that time, Smith opened the trunk and removed the envelope from the suitcase. The envelope was mailed to the toxicologist, Nelson Grubbs, from his office in Montgomery. Smith identified the envelope at trial and stated that its contents appeared to be the same that he had placed therein.

Nelson E. Grubbs, a State toxicologist, stated that as a part of his duties he examined and analyzed all types of drugs which were delivered to his office. He stated that on July 28, 1971, a sealed brown envelope containing fifteen capsules was delivered to his office by registered mail. Grubbs testified that he had had numerous occasions to examine the drug, Phencyclidine Hydrochloride, and that he examined the contents of said envelope and determined that the capsules contained Phencyclidine Hydrochloride.

I

The indictment was challenged by demurrer, attacking the constitutionality of Title 22, Section 258(21), Code of Alabama 1940, Recompiled 1958, upon which this prosecution was based. 1

The statute in question reads as follows:

“Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, transport, deliver, sell, offer for sale, barter, or give away in any form whatever in this state, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25), Psilocybin, or any other drug, compound, or substance known as Psycotomimetics, or any similar drug or substance which produces on ingestion an hallucinatory effect, or induces a schizophrenic psychoses.”

Appellant contends a denial of due process of the law under the Fourteenth Amendment based on his allegation that said statute is vague as to which drugs fall within its prohibitive clauses, the drug in question, Phencyclidine Hydrochloride, not being specifically enumerated.

The objective of this statute was obviously to regulate the traffic in and the use of drugs or narcotics that are dangerous or otherwise harmful when improperly utilized. There is no question but that the State, in the exercise of its police power, possesses the power to regulate such drugs.

From testimony at trial we are able to conclude that Phencyclidine Hydrochloride is a harmful and dangerous drug when improperly utilized. It apparently is potentially dangerous to the health of the user and, consequently, is detrimental to the public welfare.

*33 David DeGruy, a pharmacist at the Mobile Mental Health Center in Mobile, Alabama, having been duly qualified, testified that he was familiar with the drug Phencyclidine Hydrochloride; that it was classified as an animal or veterinarian drug; that the effects of the drug were similar to those produced by an analgesic or-anesthetic ; and that the drug could be classified as a psycotomimetics. It was further De-Gruy’s opinion that Phencyclidine Hydrochloride is an hallucinogenic drug similar to Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in its action.

This drug obviously falls within the category of drugs encompassed by the statute in question.

' To our way of thinking, it is not violative of due process for the Legislature to cast upon the public the duty of exercising extreme caution when dealing with’ a potentially dangerous substance such as hallucinogenic drugs.

In State v. Hooten, Fla.App., 122 So.2d 336, we find the following pertinent1 language :

“. . . [Statutory language 1 which conveys a definite warning as to proscribed conduct, when measured by common understanding and practices, satisfies due process of law.”

We deem a person of ordinary intelligence and understanding as being apprised and given fair notice that to unlawfully sell the drug in question — Phencyclidine Hydrochloride — constitutes a criminal offense under this statute.

We do not therefore find that said statute is either vague or unreasonable, and it was not error for the trial court to overrule appellant’s demurrer to the indictment on this ground. 2

Nor do we find the indictment void for vagueness as it is worded in substantially the same language as the statute upon which it is based. Appellant was sufficiently advised of the nature of the accusation which he was called upon to answer. Dean v. State, 240 Ala. 8, 197 So. 53, and cases cited.

II

Appellant contends that the trial court erred in allowing into evidence State’s Exhibit No.

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Bluebook (online)
282 So. 2d 379, 51 Ala. App. 30, 1972 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcclary-v-state-alacrimapp-1972.