A Prop. 36 Participant may use Medicinal Marijuana - California Penal Code 1210.1 and 11362.5

Proposition 36 (“Prop. 36”) is a diversion program available for individuals who are trying to clean up from their addiction to drugs and to avoid jail time. What happens if the individual enters the Prop. 36 program, but the individual has a prescription for medicinal marijuana?

In People v. Beaty (No. F055868), the appellate court held that using medicinal marijuana does not by itself make someone a participant in a Prop. 36 program unamenable to treatment. In 2007, Beaty admitted to transporting and possessing methamphetamine in violation of California Health and Safety Code 11379. He was placed on Prop. 36 probation for a period of five years. Beaty was ordered to enroll in a drug treatment program.

Brian Beaty was disabled after a motorcycle accident in 1998. Beaty was prescribed the use of medical marijuana to treat the chronic pain he was suffering from. He was advised that he would not able to use marijuana, although prescribed, while on Prop. 36 probation by the Prop. 36 team that was overseeing his progress. However, Beaty’s attorney told him that his use of medical marijuana was legal, so Beaty continued to use marijuana on a daily basis for medicinal purposes.

Beaty tested positive each time he was tested. The probation department filed a petition to have Beaty’s probation revoked because he was unamenable to treatment. The probation department had two expert witnesses testify to the fact that the use of medicinal marijuana was inconsistent with the program’s goal of abstinence. Relying on the testimony of the expert witnesses, the trial court revoked Beaty’s Prop. 36 probation and sentenced him to a term of 30 days in county jail.

On appeal, the court found that the trial court impermissibly deferred a legal conclusion to the drug treatment program. The court found that medicinal use of marijuana alone is not sufficient to render an individual unamenable for treatment in the Prop. 36 drug treatment program. The court noted that recovery from addiction cannot mean that patients must refrain from the use of all narcotics. The intent of Prop. 36 is to provide treatment that will enhance public safety by reducing drug-related crime and preserving jails and prison cells for serious and violent offenders and to improve public health by reducing drug abuse and drug treatment strategies? Therefore, when the Prop. 36 participant is using a legally prescribed drug that may be inconsistent with the goal of the program, the probation department can apply a reasonable policy to the circumstances of any individual Prop. 36 defendant.

If you or a loved one have been charged with violating probation in Southern California, it is critical that you talk to an experienced criminal defense lawyer. At Wallin & Klarich, our attorneys have over 40 years of experience in successfully dealing with all types of criminal cases. Our attorneys will aggressively defend your rights and fight to get you the best possible result. Call us at (888) 749-0034 or visit us on our website at www.wklaw.com. We will be there when you call.