People v. Harman
Decision Date | 17 May 1983 |
Docket Number | Docket No. 59178 |
Citation | 333 N.W.2d 591,124 Mich.App. 93 |
Parties | PEOPLE of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Roy Andrew HARMAN, Defendant-Appellee. |
Court | Court of Appeal of Michigan — District of US |
Frank J. Kelley, Atty. Gen., Louis J. Caruso, Sol. Gen., Frank R. Del Vero, Pros. Atty., and Thomas C. Nelson, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the People.
Michael L. Pritzker, Ltd. by Michael L. Pritzker, Mark F. Sullivan and Marcia L. Smith, Chicago, Ill., for defendant-appellee.
Before BEASLEY, P.J., and KELLY and WHITE, * JJ.
On December 17, 1979, defendant, Roy Andrew Harman, was bound over for trial on the offense of possession of cocaine in excess of 650 grams, in violation of M.C.L. Sec. 333.7403(2)(a)(i); M.S.A. Sec. 14.15(7403)(2)(a)(i). On April 20, 1981, the trial judge issued a written opinion in which he granted defendant's motion to quash the information. From this holding, the prosecutor appeals as of right.
At an evidentiary hearing held on December 17, 1980, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an expert on the subject of psychoactive drugs, testified on defendant's behalf. Among other things, Dr. Grinspoon testified that the classification of cocaine as a narcotic drug is unwarranted and that it has a less deleterious effect than alcohol or barbituates.
Based on the testimony of the expert witness and an Illinois Court of Appeals case, People v. McCarty, 1 the trial judge, in quashing the information, made the following findings regarding the constitutionality of the statute: (1) the mandatory life sentence prescribed for possession of in excess of 650 grams of cocaine is a denial of due process and equal protection of the law, (2) since the life sentence shocks the judicial conscience, it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, and (3) the classification of cocaine in the same classification as heroin and other "hard drugs" is without a rational basis and, therefore, is a denial of equal protection of the law.
In People v. McCarty, 2 we held that a mandatory life sentence for conviction of possession of 650 grams or more of cocaine does not constitute cruel or unusual punishment under the United States 3 and Michigan Constitutions. 4 The bases for this holding, with which we agree, were that the mandatory life sentence for the offense served to prevent the offender from causing injuries to others by reason of involvement with large quantities of cocaine and society's need to deter individuals from engaging in the proscribed conduct.
In People v. Lemble, 5 we discussed the penalty provisions of the controlled substance act of 1978: 6
In People v. Kaigler, 7 this Court held that the classification of cocaine among the Schedule 2 8 list of controlled substances for penalty provisions did not violate the equal protection clauses of the federal 9 and state 10 constitutions. However, the Kaigler Court noted that the defendant failed to adduce any scientific data in support of his claim that the Legislature acted arbitrarily in classifying cocaine as a Schedule 2 drug.
The Illinois Supreme Court, in People v. McCarty, 11 overruled the Illinois Court of Appeals case which the trial court herein relied upon to quash the information. As summarized in Kaigler, supra, 12 the McCarty court upheld the classification of cocaine as a narcotic for penalty purposes:
"The bases enumerated by the court were: (1) enormous profit from illegal cocaine traffic has led to a great deal of crime, including violent crime, as major importers and dealers compete with each other; (2) a strong correlation between the use of cocaine and the use of heroin and the opiates; (3) potential harm to a user inherent in the illegal use of cocaine including the danger inherent in the increase in the practice of smoking coca paste or freebase cocaine; and (4) the ongoing dispute in the scientific and medical community as to the potential harm inherent in the use of cocaine and the abundance of unresolved questions concerning the effect of cocaine on humans."
We adopt the reasoning delineated by the Illinois Supreme Court and hold that the statutory scheme that places cocaine in Schedule 2 for penalty purposes does not violate an individual's due process or equal protection rights under the federal and state constitutions.
Reversed and remanded for trial.
I must dissent from the majority's holding that a mandatory life sentence for conviction of possession of 650 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine does not constitute cruel and/or unusual punishment in violation of U.S. Const., Am. VIII or Const.1963, art. 1, Sec. 16.
Initially, the prosecution argues that, since defendant has not yet been sentenced, defendant's cruel-or-unusual-punishment claim "is purely hypothetical". The punishment to be imposed under M.C.L. Sec. 333.7403(2)(a)(i); M.S.A. Sec. 14.15(7403)(2)(a)(i), for possession of 650 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine, is mandatory life imprisonment. As defendant was charged with possession of over 650 grams of a mixture containing cocaine, his potential sentence is not "purely hypothetical". When a statute provides for punishment thought to be cruel and/or unusual, the proper procedure is to attack the constitutionality of the statute itself rather than a sentence imposed within the limits of the statute. E.g., United States v. Dawson, 400 F.2d 194, 200 (CA 2, 1968), cert. den. 393 U.S. 1023, 89 S.Ct. 632, 21 L.Ed.2d 567 (1969), accord, People v. Lorentzen, 387 Mich. 167, 181, 194 N.W.2d 827 (1972) ( ), see Cummins v. People, 42 Mich. 142, 3 N.W. 305 (1879) (); Lane v. Dep't of Corrections, Parole Board, 383 Mich. 50, 60, 173 N.W.2d 209 (1970). See also People v. Coles, 412 Mich. 917, 317 N.W.2d 189 (1982) ( ). Since defendant has been charged under M.C.L. Sec. 333.7403; M.S.A. Sec. 14.15(7403), he has standing to challenge the constitutionality of the statute's applicable minimum sentence.
The power to define crimes and establish punishments rests, in the first instance, with the Legislature. The exercise of that power, however, is subject to judicial scrutiny to ensure that the punishment does not exceed constitutional limits. Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 269, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 2741-2742, 33 L.Ed.2d 346, 366 (1972) (Brennan, J., concurring), see Lorentzen, supra.
The Michigan Supreme Court has adopted three standards for determining whether a statute imposes a cruel and/or unusual punishment: the punishment must be proportionate to the offense, the punishment must be comparable to punishments imposed in other jurisdictions for the same offense, and the punishment must serve the modern policy factors of rehabilitation, deterrence, and protection of society. Lorentzen, supra, accord, People v. Hall, 396 Mich. 650, 657-658, 242 N.W.2d 377 (1976); Wayne County Prosecutor v. Recorder's Court Judge, 92 Mich.App. 433, 438-439, 285 N.W.2d 318 (1979), lv. den. 408 Mich. 905 (1980).
A punishment, otherwise appropriate, may be so disproportionate to the offense charged as to be cruel and/or unusual.
Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660, 667, 82 S.Ct. 1417, 1421, 8 L.Ed.2d 758, 763 (1962).
An excessive sentence is cruel or unusual. Lorentzen, supra, 387 Mich. p. 176, 194 N.W.2d 827. The statute in the instant case imposes a mandatory life penalty for possession of 650 grams or more of a mixture containing cocaine. The statute is equally applicable to a first-time offender as it is to an habitual criminal. The quantity of cocaine actually possessed by the individual is ignored by the statute.
By...
To continue reading
Request your trial-
People v. Harding
...supra, 143 Mich.App. at 64, 371 N.W.2d 887; People v. Ward, 133 Mich.App. 344, 357, 351 N.W.2d 208 (1984); People v. Harman, 124 Mich.App. 93, 98, 333 N.W.2d 591 (1983), lv. den. 417 Mich. 1100.45 (1983); People v. Puertas, 122 Mich.App. 626, 630, 332 N.W.2d 399 (1983), lv. den. 417 Mich. 1......
-
People v. Matthews
...this Court. People v. Taormina, 130 Mich.App. 73, 84-85, 343 N.W.2d 236 (1983), lv. den. 419 Mich. 858 (1984); People v. Harman, 124 Mich.App. 93, 98-100, 333 N.W.2d 591 (1983), lv. den. 417 Mich. 1100.45 (1983); and People v. Kaigler, 116 Mich.App. 567, 323 N.W.2d 486 (1982), dealt with ch......
-
People v. Leighty
...MSA 14.15(7403) are not unconstitutional. People v. Tate, 134 Mich.App. 682, 693, 352 N.W.2d 297 (1984); People v. Harman, 124 Mich.App. 93, 98-100, 333 N.W.2d 591 (1983), lv. den. 417 Mich. 1100.45 (1983); People v. Kaigler, 116 Mich.App. 567, 572-573, 323 N.W.2d 486 (1982). Defendant's la......
-
People v. Ward
...drugs for penalty purposes does not violate the right of due process [133 MICHAPP 357] or equal protection. People v. Harman, 124 Mich.App. 93, 333 N.W.2d 591 (1983), lv. den. 417 Mich. 1100.45 (1983); People v. Kirchoff, 120 Mich.App. 617, 327 N.W.2d 535 (1982). Finally, this Court is not ......