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2018 Georgia Code 16-13-20 | Car Wreck Lawyer

TITLE 16 CRIMES AND OFFENSES

Section 13. Controlled Substances, 16-13-1 through 16-13-114.

ARTICLE 2 REGULATION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES

16-13-20. Short title.

This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Controlled Substances Act."

(Code 1933, § 79A-801, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 221, § 1.)

Law reviews.

- For annual survey of criminal law, see 38 Mercer L. Rev. 129 (1986). For survey article on criminal law and procedure for the period from June 1, 2002 through May 31, 2003, see 55 Mercer L. Rev. 117 (2003). For annual survey on evidence law, see 69 Mercer L. Rev. 101 (2017).

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Evidence sufficient for conviction.

- Because defendant was the driver of a vehicle in which cocaine was found, the jury could conclude that defendant constructively possessed the cocaine in the vehicle and actually possessed the cocaine that fell from defendant's sock; consequently, the evidence was sufficient to convict defendant for violating O.C.G.A. § 16-13-20 et seq. Cody v. State, 275 Ga. App. 140, 619 S.E.2d 811 (2005).

Evidence supporting the defendant's conviction for methamphetamine possession was sufficient because the presumption of possession and control attached since the state presented evidence that the defendant was the sole resident of the house present during the execution of the search warrant when the methamphetamine was found in a common area of the house; the presumption of possession was not the sole evidence connecting the defendant to the crime of possession because the arresting officer testified that the defendant exhibited clear signs of methamphetamine intoxication. Martin v. State, 305 Ga. App. 764, 700 S.E.2d 871 (2010).

Evidence was sufficient to support the defendant's drug possession convictions because: (1) when the defendant was stopped, after attempting to avoid an early morning traffic safety checkpoint, the defendant fled from the defendant's vehicle, leaving the defendant's screaming child behind; (2) the defendant was pursued and apprehended by sheriff's deputies; (3) the deputies found a dry bag of marijuana and a bag of cocaine that appeared to be sticky with saliva on the ground, which was wet from rain, along the trail upon which the defendant had just run; and (4) evidence was presented of the defendant fleeing from the police in three similar incidents. Dix v. State, 307 Ga. App. 684, 705 S.E.2d 903 (2011).

Sentencing for attempt to possess marijuana with intent to distribute.

- There was sufficient evidence to support defendant's conviction for criminal attempt to possess marijuana with intent to distribute, in violation of O.C.G.A. § 16-13-33, because defendant participated in a reverse undercover sting operation for the sale of a large amount of marijuana, defendant was seen with the money, and defendant was clearly an active participant in the transaction; sentencing under O.C.G.A. § 16-13-33 was appropriate and did not violate the rule of lenity with respect to the sentencing range for attempt under O.C.G.A. § 16-4-6(b), as the former statute was specifically enacted for purposes of providing sentencing to convictions under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, O.C.G.A. § 16-13-20 et seq., rendering the latter sentencing statute inapplicable to the present prosecution. Woods v. State, 279 Ga. 28, 608 S.E.2d 631 (2005).

Control over substance.

- Sufficient evidence supported defendant's cocaine possession conviction, even though only one witness, a police officer, testified about cocaine under defendant's body, while others did not see the contraband; the jury was authorized to conclude that defendant had control over and possessed the cocaine found underneath the defendant's body. Smith v. State, 276 Ga. App. 677, 624 S.E.2d 272 (2005).

Trial court did not manifestly abuse the court's discretion when the court found by a preponderance of the evidence that the substance found in the car in which a probationer was riding was cocaine and that the probationer had constructive possession of the cocaine because the driver of the car denied that the cocaine was the driver's and stated that the cocaine was thrown to the floorboard under the driver's feet by the probationer. Thurmond v. State, 304 Ga. App. 587, 696 S.E.2d 516 (2010).

No charge on entrapment warranted.

- Trial court did not err in refusing the defendant's request to charge the jury on the defense of entrapment because there was no evidence that the defendant was improperly induced to commit the crime of selling drugs through a confidential informant's undue persuasion, incitement, or deceit; the informant gave the defendant money in exchange for pills during two transactions and cocaine during another transaction, and the defendant told the informant that the defendant needed to keep $300 to buy more pills, and the defendant demonstrated the defendant's knowledge about the drugs when the defendant identified one type of pill that the defendant was selling to the informant as "green apples". Graham v. State, 305 Ga. App. 772, 700 S.E.2d 863 (2010).

Cited in Durrett v. State, 136 Ga. App. 114, 220 S.E.2d 92 (1975); Tolbert v. State, 138 Ga. App. 724, 227 S.E.2d 416 (1976); Partain v. State, 238 Ga. 207, 232 S.E.2d 46 (1977); Patterson v. State, 238 Ga. 204, 232 S.E.2d 233 (1977); Calloway v. State, 141 Ga. App. 125, 232 S.E.2d 603 (1977); Gilliland v. State, 142 Ga. App. 374, 235 S.E.2d 780 (1977); Autry v. State, 150 Ga. App. 584, 258 S.E.2d 268 (1979); Anglin v. State, 151 Ga. App. 570, 260 S.E.2d 563 (1979); Wrenn v. State, 151 Ga. App. 877, 261 S.E.2d 783 (1979); Murphy v. State, 155 Ga. App. 128, 270 S.E.2d 335 (1980); Gregoroff v. State, 158 Ga. App. 363, 280 S.E.2d 373 (1981); Childs v. State, 158 Ga. App. 376, 280 S.E.2d 401 (1981); Raymond v. State, 160 Ga. App. 367, 287 S.E.2d 84 (1981); Morris v. State, 161 Ga. App. 141, 288 S.E.2d 102 (1982); Wireman v. State, 163 Ga. App. 439, 295 S.E.2d 530 (1982); Lester v. State, 163 Ga. App. 604, 295 S.E.2d 566 (1982); Davis v. State, 164 Ga. App. 633, 298 S.E.2d 615 (1982); Leverette v. State, 188 Ga. App. 866, 374 S.E.2d 803 (1988); Thompson v. State, 201 Ga. App. 646, 411 S.E.2d 886 (1991); Mitchell v. State, 206 Ga. App. 672, 426 S.E.2d 171 (1992); Fair v. State, 284 Ga. 165, 664 S.E.2d 227 (2008); Weaver v. State, 299 Ga. App. 718, 683 S.E.2d 361 (2009).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

U.L.A.

- Uniform Controlled Substances Act (U.L.A.) § 604.

ALR.

- Minimum quantity of drug required to support claim that defendant is guilty of criminal "possession" of drug under state law, 4 A.L.R.5th 1.

Validity, construction, and application of state "drug kingpin" statutes, 30 A.L.R.5th 121.

Prosecution of mother for prenatal substance abuse based on endangerment of or delivery of controlled substance to child, 70 A.L.R.5th 461.

Cases Citing O.C.G.A. § 16-13-20

Total Results: 8  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Fair v. State, 664 S.E.2d 227 (Ga. 2008).

Cited 82 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jul 14, 2008 | 284 Ga. 165, 2008 Fulton County D. Rep. 2391

...f Georgia Controlled Substance[s] Act." (Emphasis in original.) The Act regulates the manufacture, delivery, distribution, possession, or sale of definite lists of drugs and their derivatives and certain other narcotics and illegal drugs. See OCGA §§ 16-13-20 through 16-13-56....
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Kimbrough v. State, 300 Ga. 878 (Ga. 2017).

Cited 39 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Apr 17, 2017 | 799 S.E.2d 229

...at 383-384 (2) (a), as well as the denial of their special demurrers seeking more detail about the alleged acts of racketeering. See id. at 386-387 (2) (b) (ii). We do not address those aspects of the decision below. Doerr and Downard are not parties to this appeal. See OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq. Paragraph 16-13-43 (a) (6) makes it unlawful for any person “[t]o withhold information from a practitioner that such person has obtained a controlled substance of a similar therapeutic use in a concurrent time period from anot...
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Barnes v. State, 339 S.E.2d 229 (Ga. 1986).

Cited 33 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 12, 1986 | 255 Ga. 396

...In pertinent part, OCGA § 16-13-42 (a) (5) makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly "keep or maintain" any dwelling or other structure or place which is used for "keeping or selling" controlled substances in violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq....
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Rollins v. State, 591 S.E.2d 796 (Ga. 2004).

Cited 31 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jan 12, 2004 | 277 Ga. 488, 2004 Fulton County D. Rep. 344

...lea to charges of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, Rollins's 1989 sentence is *800 stricken and she will be allowed to withdraw her plea. [14] Judgment reversed. All the Justices concur. NOTES [1] See OCGA § 42-8-60 et seq. [2] OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq....
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Woods v. State, 608 S.E.2d 631 (Ga. 2005).

Cited 23 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 7, 2005 | 279 Ga. 28, 2005 Fulton County D. Rep. 353

...After verdict, but before sentencing, Woods filed a motion to declare OCGA § 16-13-33 unconstitutional and to impose sentence pursuant to OCGA § 16-4-6. The former Code section is a sentencing provision of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq., which prescribes that one convicted of attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act is subject to "the maximum punishment for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt or conspir...
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Clark v. State, 912 S.E.2d 593 (Ga. 2025).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 18, 2025 | 321 Ga. 35

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In the Matter of David Godley Rigdon, 837 S.E.2d 759 (Ga. 2020).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jan 13, 2020 | 307 Ga. 676

...In his petition, Rigdon, who has been a member of the Bar since 2010, admits to violating Rule 8.4 (a) (2) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct found in Bar Rule 4-102 (d),1 by entering a guilty plea on eight counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq....
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Pennington v. State, 306 Ga. 854 (Ga. 2019).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Oct 7, 2019

...Pennington v. State, 346 Ga. App. 586, 587-588 (1) (816 SE2d 762) (2018). In his direct appeal, Pennington also unsuccessfully challenged the striking of a prospective juror. Id. at 588-591 (2). Neither of these holdings is before this Court. 2 OCGA § 16-13-20 et seq. that the conduct prohibited by OCGA § 16-13-32.4 (a) took place entirely within a private residence, that no minors were present in the residence at any time during the commission of the offense, and that the prohibited conduct was not carried on for financial gain....