Sec. 21a-278. (Formerly Sec. 19-480a). Penalty for illegal manufacture, distribution, sale, prescription or administration by non-drug-dependent person. (a)
Any person who manufactures, distributes, sells, prescribes, dispenses, compounds,
transports with the intent to sell or dispense, possesses with the intent to sell or dispense,
offers, gives or administers to another person one or more preparations, compounds,
mixtures or substances containing an aggregate weight of one ounce or more of heroin
or methadone or an aggregate weight of one-half ounce or more of cocaine or one-half
ounce or more of cocaine in a free-base form, or a substance containing five milligrams
or more of lysergic acid diethylamide, except as authorized in this chapter, and who is
not, at the time of such action, a drug-dependent person, shall be imprisoned for a minimum term of not less than five years or more than twenty years; and, a maximum term
of life imprisonment. The execution of the mandatory minimum sentence imposed by
the provisions of this subsection shall not be suspended, except the court may suspend
the execution of such mandatory minimum sentence if at the time of the commission
of the offense (1) such person was under the age of eighteen years, or (2) such person's
mental capacity was significantly impaired, but not so impaired as to constitute a defense
to prosecution.
(b) Any person who manufactures, distributes, sells, prescribes, dispenses, compounds, transports with the intent to sell or dispense, possesses with the intent to sell
or dispense, offers, gives or administers to another person any narcotic substance, hallucinogenic substance other than marijuana, amphetamine-type substance, or one kilogram or more of a cannabis-type substance, except as authorized in this chapter, and
who is not, at the time of such action, a drug-dependent person, for a first offense shall
be imprisoned not less than five years or more than twenty years; and for each subsequent
offense shall be imprisoned not less than ten years or more than twenty-five years.
The execution of the mandatory minimum sentence imposed by the provisions of this
subsection shall not be suspended, except the court may suspend the execution of such
mandatory minimum sentence if at the time of the commission of the offense (1) such
person was under the age of eighteen years, or (2) such person's mental capacity was
significantly impaired, but not so impaired as to constitute a defense to prosecution.
(1971, P.A. 812, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 278, S. 25; P.A. 73-137, S. 10; P.A. 74-332, S. 1, 6; P.A. 87-373, S. 2; P.A. 01-195,
S. 92, 181; P.A. 05-248, S. 8; P.A. 06-196, S. 254; P.A. 07-217, S. 97.)
History: 1972 act substituted "substance" for "drug" and made provisions applicable to distributors and to hallucinogenic
or amphetamine-type drugs; P.A. 73-137 substituted "such action" for "his arrest" and added proviso re life imprisonment
penalty; P.A. 74-332 applied Subsec. (a) to substances containing specified amounts of heroin, methadone, cocaine or
LSD, imposing minimum term of 5 to 20 years and maximum term of life imprisonment and added provisions re suspension
of minimum term and added Subsec. (b) applicable to hallucinogenic, narcotic, amphetamine- or cannabis-type substances
formerly dealt with in Subsec. (a), reducing minimum term for first offense from 10 to 5 years, replacing 15-year minimum
and 30-year maximum for second offense and 35-year sentence for third or more offenses with 10-year minimum and 25-year maximum sentence for all offenses beyond the first and added provisions re suspension of minimum sentence; Sec.
19-480a transferred to Sec. 21a-278 in 1983; P.A. 87-373 amended Subsec. (a) to make provisions applicable to an aggregate
weight of one-half gram or more of cocaine in a free-base form; P.A. 01-195 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and
(b), effective July 11, 2001; P.A. 05-248 amended Subsec. (a) to decrease from one ounce to one-half ounce the minimum
aggregate weight of cocaine and increase from one-half gram to one-half ounce the minimum aggregate weight of cocaine
in a free-base form that subjects a person to the penalties of said Subsec.; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec.
(a), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 12, 2007.
Subsec. (b):
Circumstantial evidence that defendant picked up package and was engaged in illicit activity was insufficient to support
conviction of possession of marijuana and possession with the intent to sell marijuana when essential element of offense,
knowledge of the character of the illegal substance, was lacking. 98 CA 458.
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Sec. 21a-278a. Penalty for illegal manufacture, distribution, sale, prescription
or administration.
Subsec. (b):
Trial court properly determined that defendant possessed narcotics with intent to sell within 1500 feet of a school where
defendant, upon being confronted by police, transferred drugs to a passenger in a motor vehicle. Defendant's actual transfer
of drugs to the passenger was in and of itself evidence of intent to sell. 101 CA 167. Dissenting opinion: Intent to sell,
without evidence of intent to sell at a location within a school zone, is not sufficient to find defendant guilty under statute.
Handing a package of narcotics to a motor vehicle passenger with instructions that she "hold it" was not a sufficient act
from which jury could infer that defendant intended to sell or dispense at that moment. Id.
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