Utah Code 58-37c-20. Possession of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine — Penalties
Current as of: 2024 | Check for updates
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(1) A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor:
For details, see Utah Code § 76-3-204
Attorney's Note
Under the Utah Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| class A misdemeanor | up to 364 days | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Utah Code 58-37c-20
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Matrix: means something, as a substance, in which something else originates, develops, or is contained. See Utah Code 58-37c-3
- Person: means any individual, group of individuals, proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, corporation, or organization of any type or kind. See Utah Code 58-37c-3
- Retail distributor: means a grocery store, general merchandise store, drug store, or other entity or person whose activities as a distributor are limited almost exclusively to sales for personal use:(9)(a) in both number of sales and volume of sales; and(9)(b) either directly to walk-in customers or in face-to-face transactions by direct sales. See Utah Code 58-37c-3
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(1)(a) who is not licensed to engage in regulated transactions and is not excepted from licensure; and(1)(b) who, under circumstances not amounting to a violation of Subsection58-37c-3(11)(k) or Subsection58-37d-4(1)(a) , possesses more than 9 grams of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine, their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or a combination of any of these substances.
(2) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under Subsection (1) that the person in possession of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, or a combination of these two substances:
(2)(a)
(2)(a)(i) is a physician, pharmacist, retail distributor, wholesaler, manufacturer, warehouseman, or common carrier, or an agent of any of these persons; and
(2)(a)(ii) possesses the substances in the regular course of lawful business activities; or
(2)(b) possesses the substance pursuant to a valid prescription as defined in Section 58-37-2 .
(3)
(3)(a) A defendant shall provide written notice of intent to claim an affirmative defense under this section as soon as practicable, but not later than 10 days prior to trial. The court may waive the notice requirement in the interest of justice for good cause shown, if the prosecutor is not unfairly prejudiced by the lack of timely notice.
(3)(b) The notice shall include the specifics of the asserted defense.
(3)(c) The defendant shall establish the affirmative defense by a preponderance of the evidence. If the defense is established, it is a complete defense to the charges.
(4) This section does not apply to dietary supplements, herbs, or other natural products, including concentrates or extracts, which:
(4)(a) are not otherwise prohibited by law; and
(4)(b) may contain naturally occurring ephedrine, ephedrine alkaloids, or pseudoephedrine, or their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers, or a combination of these substances, that:
(4)(b)(i) are contained in a matrix of organic material; and
(4)(b)(ii) do not exceed 15% of the total weight of the natural product.