Susan HOHNKE, Appellant, v. COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky, Appellee.
Court of Appeals of Kentucky.
Feb. 20, 1970.
Dissenting Opinion Feb. 27, 1970.
451 S.W.2d 162
The judgment is affirmed.
All concur.
Roger B. Sledd, Lexington, for appellant.
John B. Breckinridge, Atty. Gen., David Murrell, Asst. Atty. Gen., Frankfort, for appellee.
DAVIS, Commissioner.
The appellant was convicted of the offense of unlawful possession of “LSD,” and her punishment was fixed by the jury at confinement in the penitentiary for two years and a fine of $1. On this appeal she seeks reversal on the following grounds: (1) Possession of LSD was not unlawful in Kentucky; (2) the trial court improperly submitted to the jury the issue of the voluntariness of the appellant‘s consent to the seizure of the capsule containing LSD by a federal agent; (3) the court erred in receiving evidence obtained by a search of the appellant‘s premises, because she did not volunteer to any search and no search warrant was obtained; (4) the failure of the federal agent to warn appellant of her right to advice of counsel until after she had given him the capsule containing LSD violated her constitutional right to counsel; and (5) excessive prejudicial newspaper publicity deprived appellant of a fair trial.
The appellant was employed by the University of Kentucky Medical Center as a research assistant. She had been in that employment about four years prior to October 10, 1966, the day on which the opening events of the present case occurred. On
Although there is some dispute about it, it seems clear that Cook did not advise appellant respecting any of the “Miranda rights” (Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694) until after he had obtained the capsules and the parties had returned to Dr. Isbell‘s office.
An analysis of the material in the capsules disclosed it to be LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). About two weeks after her interview in the office of Dr. Isbell, appellant was discharged as an employee of the University and arrested on a warrant charging her with violation of
“It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, possess, have under his control, sell, prescribe, administer, dispense, or compound any narcotic drug, except as authorized in this chapter.”
The term “narcotic drug” as used in
“‘Narcotic Drugs’ includes coca leaves, opium, isonipecaine (the substance identified chemically as 1-methly-4-phenylpiperidine-4-carboxylic acid ethyl ester, or any salt thereof by whatever trade name identified), cannabis, every other substance neither chemically nor physically distinguishable from them, and any drug having an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine or cocaine which is designated by regulation of the State Board of Health as a narcotic drug.”
On July 22, 1966, the State Board of Health promulgated in due form a regulation designating lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as a narcotic drug. The regulation became effective before the date of the offense for which the appellant has been convicted.
In her first assignment of error, the appellant contends that there was no valid law in Kentucky prohibiting possession of LSD on the date she is charged with possessing it. She premises this assault upon her conviction on a twofold front: (a)
In support of proposition (a) that the Kentucky Constitution prohibits the delegation of the Legislature‘s power to enact criminal statutes, the appellant relies upon McCown v. Gose, 244 Ky. 402, 51 S.W.2d 251; Bloemer v. Turner, 281 Ky. 832, 137 S.W.2d 387; Goodpaster v. Foster, 296 Ky. 614, 178 S.W.2d 29; Dicken v. Kentucky State Board of Education, 304 Ky. 343, 199 S.W.2d 977; and Robertson v. Schein, 305 Ky. 528, 204 S.W.2d 954. Without undertaking a detailed analysis of the cited cases, none of which may be regarded as completely apposite, it is appropriate to note that Butler v. United Cerebral Palsy of Northern Kentucky, Inc., Ky., 352 S.W.2d 203, recognized that much of the language employed in the decisions dealing with delegation of legislative authority is inaccurate and inapplicable in determining whether a particular act of the Legislature runs afoul of constitutional proscriptions against delegation of authority. As noted in Butler, many of the cases advert to the necessity for “standards” when the real need is not for standards but for safeguards. In Commonwealth v. Moyers, Ky., 272 S.W.2d 670, this court upheld the validity of a regulation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources prohibiting possession of certain types of fishing equipment.
The General Assembly denounced possession of any narcotic drug by
The more difficult question arises as respects appellant‘s contention (1) (b), the substance of which is that the State Board of Health exceeded the authority granted to it by
On April 13, 1967, the appellant moved the court to dismiss the indictment for unlawful possession of LSD “for the reason that same is not in violation of any of the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as properly enacted and that the statute is in violation of the
The case was assigned for trial on July 24, 1967, and the parties began the qualification of jurors. On the next day, and before the proceedings to seat a jury had been completed, the appellant moved the court to set a date for a hearing at which she would introduce evidence “as to the nature and qualities of * * * LSD * * * for the purpose of determining whether the State Board of Health properly acted in determining” LSD to be a narcotic as defined by statute.
The court denied appellant‘s motion for opportunity to present evidence respecting
This brings us face to face with the question of whether reversible error was committed in denying appellant the opportunity to present evidence, even by avowal, pertaining to the qualities of LSD and looking toward demonstrating that it does not have the qualities prescribed for narcotic drugs by the statute. It may not be doubted that a judicial review to test the validity of an administrative regulation must be afforded to satisfy the demands of due process. A leading case dealing with the matter is Yakus v. United States, 64 S.Ct. 660, 321 U.S. 414, 88 L.Ed. 834. There is no administrative procedure for review of the action of the State Board of Health in
“Where a rule or regulation of a public administrative agency is within the scope of the authority of such agency it is considered prima facie, or presumptively, valid and reasonable, and the one who raises the question has the burden of pleading and proving facts showing the invalidity of such rule or regulation. Moreover, the invalidity of an adminis-trative rule or regulation must be made so manifest by the one attacking it that the court has no choice except to hold that the administrative agency has exceeded the authority delegated. Thus he must show that such rule or regulation is clearly inconsistent with statute, or that it is clearly unreasonable, or that it is clearly inappropriate to carry out the end specified in the statute it is intended to implement.”
The defense which appellant sought to present was properly a preliminary defense presentable by motion. RCr 8.12-8.18 inclusive. The preliminary motion was properly made, and it was pursued by an offer of evidence. The trial court obviously regarded the matter as completely settled and not subject to attack; hence, the court‘s ruling that no evidence could come into the record even by avowal. It seems plain that the court‘s decision was not based on lack of timely offer of such proof.
Does LSD possess “addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to morphine or cocaine“? The General Assembly empowered the State Board of Health to designate any drug possessing those characteristics as a “narcotic drug.” There was no legislative grant of authority to so designate any drug not possessing those qualities. If a given drug possesses those qualities, the Board is empowered to designate it as a “narcotic drug,” the possession of which is made felonious by
The characteristics of LSD, from a scientific viewpoint, are not so well established as to bring them within the realm of common knowledge subject to judicial notice. When the trial court denied the appellant the opportunity to adduce evidence, even by avowal, relating to this vital question, any vestige of judicial review was foreclosed. Clearly, no “due-process” hearing or judicial review may be found in a proceeding in which even the opportunity for avowing evidence on such a crucial point is summarily denied.
It is clear that the trial judge deemed the action of the State Board of Health as utterly determinative and final. It was his view that the appellant had no standing to question the Board‘s designation of
“Q. Doctor, in your opinion is LSD a narcotic drug?
[Objection by Commonwealth]
THE COURT: I‘ll sustain the objection. That doesn‘t enter into this question at all. The law, as I have stated before, is what the State has said, and that doesn‘t make any difference.”
We do not suggest that the appellant could have sought a jury determination as to the characteristics of LSD. We do say that she was entitled to show to the court, if she could present evidence of it, that the Board‘s action in designating LSD as a narcotic drug was illegal, because the Board had no basis for making such a determination within the statutorily prescribed definition of “narcotic drugs.”
It is somewhat significant that the State Board of Health specifically removed LSD from classification as a “narcotic drug” by subsequent regulation. The General Assembly adopted a “Dangerous Drug Act” in 1968.
“Any drug which contains any quantity of a substance which has been designated by regulation of the State Board of Health as having a potential for abuse because of its depressant or stimulant effect on the central nervous system or its hallucinogenic effect; except that the Board shall not designate under this law any substance that is a narcotic drug as defined or designated in the Kentucky Uniform Narcotic Drug Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder. (Emphasis added.)”
“The drugs specified above [LSD was one] in this regulation are being removed from their designation by the State Board of Health as ‘narcotic drugs’ because they have been designated by law as ‘dangerous drugs’ effective July 1, 1968, under the provisions of House Bill No. 347, 1968 Acts of the General Assembly [
KRS 217.721 to217.785 and217.995 ] and hence on and after July 1, 1968, will be regulated pursuant to the provisions of [KRS Chapter 217 ].”
Presumably the General Assembly knew that the State Board of Health had designated LSD as a “narcotic drug” when
We do not suggest that this somewhat rapid change in the status of LSD on the records of the State Board of Health is decisive of the issue respecting whether LSD is a narcotic drug vis-a-vis a dangerous drug. It could hardly be questioned that a drug could be both a narcotic drug and quite dangerous. However, by statutory direction, one drug may not be a “narcotic drug” and a “dangerous drug”
With the correct status of LSD in this nebulous area, it was prejudicially erroneous for the trial court to deny appellant an opportunity to challenge the Board‘s action in designating LSD as a “narcotic drug.” This error, however, did not affect the trial itself. We vacate the judgment for further proceedings as hereinafter outlined.
As her second basis for reversal, appellant contends that it was error for the trial court to submit to the jury the issue of whether her consent to the seizure of the LSD by Agent Cook was voluntary. She recognizes that Davis v. Commonwealth, Ky., 398 S.W.2d 701, holds otherwise, but reasons that Davis is no longer authoritative in light of Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908, 1 A.L.R.3d 1205. In Bradley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 439 S.W.2d 61, this court considered the question at hand in light of Jackson v. Denno and said:
“For the future, therefore, we are of the opinion that a motion to suppress, whether it be directed to a confession or to evidence obtained by a search alleged to have been illegal, should be treated in conformity with Jackson v. Denno; that is, the question of voluntariness (in case of a confession) or consent (in case of a search) should be first determined by the trial judge outside the presence of the jury on the basis of an evidentiary hearing of the pertinent evidence on both sides. Only if the trial court finds the evidence to have been validly obtained is it admissible in evidence before the jury, in which event the trial court should admonish the jury not to consider the evidence unless it finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant freely and voluntarily consented to the search (or, in the case of a confession, that he gave it voluntarily and free of coercion).” Id. 439 S.W.2d 64.
The trial court conducted a preliminary hearing out of the jury‘s presence and concluded that a submissible jury issue existed as to whether appellant‘s consent to the seizure was voluntary. The issue was then properly submitted to the jury. The evidence on the question created an issue—it was not conclusive—the resolution of that issue, following the court‘s preliminary determination that an issue existed, was properly left to the jury.
Appellant‘s third assignment of error is closely related to the second ground just discussed. In this she urges that the court should have ruled as a matter of law that her consent to the seizure was involuntary in light of the admitted circumstances. Specifically, appellant contends that Agent Cook should have advised her that she had a right to refuse to consent to any search or seizure. It is also contended that coercion for the search and seizure was clearly demonstrated by Agent Cook‘s reference to the fact that a search warrant could be obtained.
It is true that some courts have deemed it imperative that an officer advise the subject of his right to decline consent for search or seizure as a condition precedent to a determination that any consent for a warrantless search or seizure was voluntary and free from coercion. Other courts have rejected such a rule. Cf. United States v. Moderacki, (D.C.Del., 1968) 280 F.Supp. 633, indicating that prior advice of suspect‘s right to withhold consent for search is imperative, and Rosenthall v. Henderson, 6 C.C.A., 1968, 389 F.2d 514, in which this question was thus treated:
“The failure to advise the defendant of his right to withhold consent is only one factor to be considered.” (Emphasis added.) Id. 389 F.2d, page 516.
We regard the quoted statement as a sound statement of the law applicable here. In our view the trial court had adequate basis for ruling that the admitted
There was no showing that Agent Cook “threatened” appellant with his right to obtain a search warrant. The trial judge and the jury could and did believe from the total circumstances that the appellant consented voluntarily to the search and seizure, free from coercion.
In her fourth assignment of error the appellant maintains that her right to counsel, as guaranteed by the
Finally, appellant asserts that excessive prejudicial newspaper publicity deprived her of a fair trial. Cited in this connection are some celebrated decisions, including: Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333, 86 S.Ct. 1507, 16 L.Ed.2d 600; Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717, 81 S.Ct. 1639, 6 L.Ed.2d 751; Estes v. Texas, 381 U.S. 532, 85 S.Ct. 1628, 13 L.Ed.2d 543. Accompanying her brief is an appendix in which numerous newspaper articles are presented. To discuss these articles in detail would extend this opinion needlessly. Our review of them leaves us unpersuaded that they may be said to have had the impact ascribed to them by appellant. It appears that the trial judge exercised a sound discretion in evaluating the state of public opinion and properly ruled that there was no showing of lack of due process by reason of the assertedly adverse publicity.
The judgment of conviction will be vacated and the proceedings remanded to the trial court with directions to afford appellant a reasonable opportunity to present to the judge evidentiary material directed to the question of whether the action of the Board of Health in designating LSD as a narcotic drug was legal within the purview of
The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the trial court for proceedings consistent with the opinion.
EDWARD P. HILL, Jr., C. J., and MILLIKEN, PALMORE and STEINFELD, JJ., concur.
NEIKIRK, OSBORNE and REED, JJ., dissent.
REED, Judge (dissenting).
I dissent from that portion of the majority opinion which holds that the trial judge committed prejudicial error by refusing to afford the appellant the opportunity to make an avowal of evidence concerning whether the action of the State Board of Health in prohibiting the possession, use or distribution of LSD was erroneous. The record does not support the conclusion. I would affirm the judgment.
If
The State Board of Health is composed in part of members of the medical profession and it is this board that made the judgment to classify LSD as an addictive drug prior to the time of the commission of the offense. The majority opinion recognizes that it would take a strong showing of evidence to induce a court to substitute its judgment concerning the qualities of LSD for that of a board consisting of persons knowledgeable in the field. Indeed the question is not whether Dr. X thinks LSD is addictive and Dr. Y thinks it is not. The question is whether the State Board was without any rational basis to so classify this drug. Only a showing that the State Board was without rational basis would qualify. Therefore, whether the trial judge erred or did not err in not listening to some unspecified evidence by some unspecified persons but instead regarding the finding of the State Board as conclusive could only be prejudicial if the defendant was prepared to show that there was no rational basis for the finding of the State Board of Health.
The majority reads the record as demonstrating that the trial judge refused the defendant an opportunity to place evidence in the record by means of avowal so that this court could determine the question. We do not so read the record. According to the majority opinion, a motion raising the specific question was filed on April 25, 1967. The case was assigned for trial on July 24, 1967. No hearing on the motion was held in the interim and the appellant does not remotely suggest that this was due to any fault on the part of the trial judge. RCr 8.22 provides that a motion before trial raising the type of defense made here shall be determined before trial. In this instance that rule requires that the issue of fact presented shall be determined by the trial judge with or without a jury on the basis of testimony, or on affidavits, or in such other manner as the court may direct. Therefore, it is clear that the appellant could have accompanied the April 25 motion by affidavits or could have later filed these affidavits up to trial time, incorporating the evidence upon which she relied to establish that the State Board illegally classified this drug. Appellant waited, however, until the trial jury had been partially selected before undertaking to seek an evidentiary hearing on the question. It was then too late.
Nevertheless, even if this procedural noncompliance could be excused, the appellant, in my view, is not supported by the record by reason of the statement quoted in the majority opinion—“and the defendant proffered the evidence by avowal and the evidence was refused by the court.” This indicates only that the appellant avowed that if permitted to do so she would introduce evidence before the judge, as she indeed attempted to introduce evidence before the trial jury, that LSD was not an addictive drug. The trial judge‘s ruling excluding such evidence from the trial jury was clearly correct, even according to the majority opinion.
The avowal that evidence would be offered if the judge would hear it did not relieve appellant of the duty of preserving this evidence in the record by way of avowal for appellate review. RCr 9.52 incorporates the provisions of CR 43.10 concerning the proper manner of making an avowal. There is not one iota of evidence in this record that the appellant attempted to comply with these rules nor is there any evidence whatever that the trial judge
Therefore, although appellant‘s noncompliance with the rules of criminal procedure and with established principles of preservation of rejected evidence for appellate review is disregarded, it is still true that in this instance the defect is compounded because we have not been advised even by brief concerning what this proffered evidence was and who proposed to so testify. For all we know from the record, proffered evidence could consist of anything from an opinion by the world‘s outstanding authority on the addictive properties of drugs to the recommendations and hopes of some street-corner guru. When one reflects about the quantum and character of evidence necessary to demonstrate that a state board of health, composed of members of the medical profession, acted with no rational basis, then one can only marvel at the futility of this whole result to the appellant and to society.
The fact of the subsequent change in classification of LSD by the legislature is of less significance than the circumstances surrounding the defendant and the extent of her contact with this drug. In any event, the penalty inflicted was the minimum so far as confinement is concerned under either the “addictive drug” section or the “dangerous drug” section of the same act. After all, the principal defense of appellant was based upon a plea of temporary insanity induced by her repeated use of this drug. I regard that as not completely insignificant in considering its addictive properties.
In a recent case, the Supreme Court of the United States considered some of the aspects of the problems presented by this appeal. See Turner v. United States, 396 U.S. 398, 90 S.Ct. 642, 24 L.Ed.2d 610 (decided January 20, 1970). Mr. Justice Black dissented from the majority opinion (which had affirmed the conviction of a possessor of heroin) on the ground that a statutory inference in the Federal statute involved impinged upon the constitutional rights of the defendant. In the course of his dissenting opinion, however, the following telling description of the problem is stated in this language:
“Commercial traffic in deadly mind, soul, and body-destroying drugs is beyond doubt one of the greatest evils of our time. It cripples intellects, dwarfs bodies, paralyzes the progress of a substantial segment of our society, and frequently makes hopeless and sometimes violent and murderous criminals of persons of all ages who become its victims. Such consequences call for the most vigorous laws to suppress the traffic as well as the most powerful efforts to put these vigorous laws into effect.”
We are not dealing in this case with a youthful, susceptible victim of a seller or distributor of illicit drugs. We are dealing with a woman who had been employed for four years as a research assistant in a medical center and who was found to be in possession at the time of arrest of 80 LSD capsules. As pointed out by Mr. Justice White in the majority opinion in the Turner case, the possession of 275 glassine bags of heroin clearly showed that Turner was more than a mere user of heroin. The evidence demonstrated a high probability that he was engaged in the distribution of the drug. In the instant case, the possession of 80 capsules of LSD suggest more than a mere casual use. It demonstrates a strong probability toward both use and distribution by the appellant.
As to mere users who are the victims of distributors, a reasonable legislative approach may be lighter penalties or maybe
I would affirm the judgment.
NEIKIRK and OSBORNE, JJ., join in this dissent.
