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366 S.W.2d 559

Ex Parte Rogers

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas · decided 1963-04-03

Cited by 7 later decisions — most recently January 1971

5 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““It shall be unlawful for any person to habitually use narcotic drugs, be addicted to the use of narcotic drugs, * * *.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including McSwain v. State

Relies on Robinson v. State of California · Salas v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1963-04-03

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

WOODLEY, Presiding Judge.

¶1 The relator is confined in the penitentiary under a conviction in Cause No. 23345 in Criminal District Court of Jefferson County. The indictment, drawn under Art. 725c Vernon’s Ann.P.C., alleged that he was “addicted to the use of narcotic drugs”, he not being a person who had a medical need for narcotic drugs and not being a person who *560 obtains narcotic drugs required for such medical need in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas and of the United States.

¶2 Upon a plea of guilty to said indictment, relator was assessed a term of 5 years. Probation was granted but thereafter revoked, and the term of punishment was reduced to 4 years.

¶3 The statute under which this prosecution was had, insofar as it makes it a crime for a person to be addicted to the use of narcotic drugs, is invalid. Salas v. State, Tex. Cr.App., 365 S.W.2d 174; Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660, 82 S.Ct. 1417, 8 L.Ed.2d 758.

¶4 The statute being void, the conviction cannot stand.

¶5 We observe, also, that the punishment assessed against the relator is in excess of the maximum punishment provided for violation of Art. 725c V.A.P.C., which is 3 years.

¶6 The writ of habeas corpus is granted and the relator is ordered discharged from further restraint under the conviction above described.

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