controlled-substances-act

62 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-5620 Terry Duane Qualls v. United States Eighth Circuit 2025-09-12 Pending IFP appeal-waiver categorical-approach controlled-substances-act due-process plea-agreement sentencing Whether an appeal waiver applies when the sentencing judge advises the defendant that he has the right to appeal and the government does not object
25A180 Canna Provisions, Inc., et al., v. Pamela J. Bondi, Attorney General First Circuit 2025-08-13 Presumed Complete commerce-clause controlled-substances-act gonzalez-v-raich interstate-commerce intrastate-marijuana marijuana-regulation Whether Congress's power under the Commerce Clause to criminalize intrastate marijuana production and sale remains valid given changed economic and re…
24A1217 Ryan Daniel Richmond v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-06-10 Presumed Complete commerce-clause constitutional-challenge controlled-substances-act federal-taxation marijuana-taxation state-legal-marijuana Whether Congress may constitutionally impose federal tax penalties on state-legal marijuana businesses under the Commerce Clause in light of the evolv…
24-5646 Lisa Hofschulz, et vir v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-09-26 Denied IFP administrative-law controlled-substances-act criminal-statute medical-standards mens-rea prescription-authorization Whether Congress delegated authority to the Attorney General to define 'effective prescription' under the Controlled Substances Act and whether a pres…
24-5578 Randy Lamartiniere v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-09-19 Denied IFP administrative-delegation controlled-substances-act criminal-statute medical-standards mens-rea prescription-authorization Whether Congress delegated authority to the Attorney General to define 'effective prescription' under the Controlled Substances Act and what mens rea …
24-5501 Victor Manuel Campos-Ayala v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-09-10 Denied IFP controlled-substances-act due-process fourth-amendment miranda-warnings traffic-stop witness-deportation Whether law enforcement agents must read Miranda warnings during an investigative traffic stop prior to formal arrest, whether possession with intent …
24-5451 Martin Moncada-de la Cruz v. United States Fifth Circuit 2024-09-04 Denied IFP controlled-substances-act criminal-procedure drug-possession intent-to-distribute material-evidence witness-deportation Whether proof of possession with intent to distribute requires showing control over drugs beyond mere touching, and whether deportation of a material …
24-5231 Dean Terry v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender circuit-split controlled-substance controlled-substances-act drug-conviction federal-drug-crimes federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation Whether prior drug convictions eligible for the career offender sentencing enhancement in 28 U.S.C. § 994(h) must involve a 'controlled substance' as …
23-7676 Romone Raphael Jackson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-06-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP career-offender career-offender-enhancement circuit-split controlled-substance controlled-substances-act drug-distribution federal-law sentencing-guidelines state-law Whether a state conviction for distributing a drug that includes substances not regulated under the federal Controlled Substances Act qualifies as a '…
23-7388 Michael Andrew Taylor v. United States Eighth Circuit 2024-05-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-law federal-act federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether the definition of 'controlled substance offense' in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines §4B1.2(b) is limited to substances defined and regulated…
23-5828 Raquel Rivera v. United States Third Circuit 2023-10-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof controlled-substances-act drug-prosecution farm-bill hemp hemp-classification marijuana marijuana-definition possession-with-intent-to-distribute thc-concentration thc-content Whether the government must prove that a substance is marijuana and not hemp as an element of a possession with intent to distribute offense, or wheth…
23-5591 Patrick Andrew Groves v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-09-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP aiding-and-abetting attempted-distribution attempted-transfer controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-law drug-offenses sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation surplusage Whether an 'attempted transfer' of drugs, § 802(8), includes any conduct that would also constitute an 'attempted distribution' of drugs, § 846
23-238 Roger Dale Anderson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-09-12 Denied comport with the Supreme Court's holding in Ruan which did not explicitly reference the Controlled controlled-substances-act criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process jury-instructions medical-practice medical-professional-liability mens-rea statutory-interpretation Whether the Sixth Circuit erred in holding that jury instructions were sufficient despite lack of reference to the CSA's 'authorization' requirement
23-130 Saad Sakkal v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-08-10 Denied Relisted (2) agency-regulation authorization controlled-substances-act criminal-conviction drug-dealer drug-dealing jury-instruction physician physician-prescription statutory-interpretation statutory-requirement Whether a jury instruction under the Controlled Substances Act may replace the statutory requirement that a physician be convicted as a drug dealer on…
23-5303 Jeanne Germeil v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-08-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-procedure expert-testimony good-faith jury-instructions medical-practice ruan-v-united-states Whether the United States Supreme Court's Decision in Ruan v. United States Warrants Certiorari Review of the Court's Refusal to Instruct the Jury on …
22-1175 Xiulu Ruan and John Patrick Couch v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-05 Denied Amici (3) agency-rulemaking controlled-substances-act criminal-conviction federal-agency felony-offense jury-instruction jury-instructions medical-practice prescription-authority statutory-interpretation Whether 21 C.F.R. § 13806.04(a) may replace the 'except as authorized' requirement in a Controlled Substances Act jury instruction, thereby permitting…
22-7690 Rodney Raphael Fluckes v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-06-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-law federal-act federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-disparities sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether 'controlled substance[s]' in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines §4B1.2(b) are limited to those substances defined and regulated under the feder…
22-7500 Safara Echo Shortman v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-05-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP continuing-offense controlled-substances-act criminal-charging distribution drug-distribution plain-error plea-bargaining possession-with-intent possession-with-intent-to-distribute statutory-interpretation Whether 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) permits the government to charge a continuing offense of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance bas…
22-1057 Standing Akimbo, Inc., et al. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-05-01 Denied Response Waived commerce-clause controlled-substances-act federalism marijuana-regulation necessary-and-proper-clause summary-judgment tax-code Whether Gonzales v. Raich should be overruled
22-7292 Jason Edward Simpson v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-04-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-841 controlled-substances-act criminal-procedure due-process jury-finding jury-instructions knowledge-element mens-rea reasonable-doubt statutory-minimum-maximum statutory-sentencing Whether a conviction of a substantive offense under 21 U.S.C. § 841 requires jury finding of defendant's knowledge of drug type and quantity
22-6653 Jayson Montgomery v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-01-27 Denied IFP anti-kickback-statute circuit-split controlled-substances-act criminal-law due-process healthcare-fraud intent ruan-v-united-states subjective-intent Does the government need to prove subjective intent for anti-kickback statute violations?
22-6640 Eugene Jackson v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-01-26 Judgment Issued Amici (1)Relisted (3)IFP armed-career-criminal-act circuit-split controlled-substances-act drug-schedules federal-drug-schedules federal-firearm-offense prior-state-drug-offense sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense statutory-interpretation Whether the 'serious drug offense' definition in the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(A)(ii), incorporates the federal drug schedules …
22-685 Jerry Wayne Wilkerson, et al. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-01-24 Denied anti-kickback-statute commission-payment controlled-substances-act healthcare-fraud objective-intent-standard pharmacy-benefit prescription-marketing sixth-circuit subjective-intent Must the government establish subjective intent to engage in unlawful conduct in order to convict a defendant of healthcare fraud and violation of the…
22-6248 Paul Tay v. Michelle Diane Tilley Nichols, et al. Oklahoma 2022-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP anti-commandeering anti-commandeering-doctrine controlled-substances-act election-activities federal-preemption indian-treaties marijuana marijuana-regulation state-jurisdiction treaty-law Does the Controlled Substances Act preempt State consent to use, possession, cultivation, processing, transportation, and sale of marijuana and any of…
22-84 Saad Sakkal v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-07-28 GVR controlled-substances-act conviction-appeal criminal-law due-process jury-instruction physician-conviction ruan-standard ruan-v-united-states scienter statutory-interpretation Whether this Court should grant, vacate, and remand a judgment sustaining the conviction of a physician under 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
21-8099 Darnell McConnell, II v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-06-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-law federal-act federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether 'controlled substance[s]' in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines § 4B1.2(b) are limited to those substances defined and regulated under the fede…
21-8075 Ricky Bagola v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-06-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP 21-usc-801 advisory-range controlled-substance controlled-substance-offense controlled-substances-act criminal-law federal-sentencing-guidelines federal-statute prior-conviction sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation ussg-4b1.2(b) Is the term 'controlled substance' in § 4B1.2(b) limited to those substances defined and regulated under the federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S…
21-1487 Brian Bilodeau v. United States First Circuit 2022-05-26 Denied Response Waived appropriations appropriations-rider controlled-substances-act department-of-justice federal-prosecution medical-marijuana standing state-law Whether and under what circumstances the rider prohibits the DOJ from spending federal funds to prosecute criminal defendants for medical marijuana-re…
21-7391 Isaiah Ramon Henderson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-03-16 Denied Amici (1)Response WaivedIFP circuit-split controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-procedure federal-law federal-sentencing-guidelines sentencing-disparity sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation Whether 'controlled substance[s]' in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines § 4B1.2(b) are limited to those substances defined and regulated under the fede…
21-998 Daniel Bierbach v. Digger's Polaris, et al. Minnesota 2022-01-13 Denied CVSGRelisted (2) civil-rights controlled-substances-act employer-reimbursement medical-marijuana preemption state-law statutory-interpretation workers-compensation Whether the Controlled Substances Act preempts an order under a state workers' compensation law requiring an employer to reimburse an injured employee…
21-6722 Daniel Dario Trevino v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-12-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause congressional-power controlled-substances-act due-process federalism interstate-commerce legal-landscape marijuana-regulation medical-marijuana standing-akimbo state-legalization Should this court reconsider its decision in Gonzales and determine that Congress cannot regulate solely intrastate marijuana distribution due to the …
21-676 Susan K. Musta v. Mendota Heights Dental Center, et al. Minnesota 2021-11-05 Denied CVSGAmici (1)Relisted (2) controlled-substances-act due-process federal-law medical-marijuana preemption standing state-law workers-compensation Does the Controlled Substances Act preempt an order under a state workers' compensation law requiring an employer to reimburse an injured employee for…
21-6143 Stephen Cameron Zyszkiewicz v. California California 2021-11-01 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights controlled-substances-act equal-protection first-amendment fourteenth-amendment fourth-amendment freedom-of-religion marijuana-prohibition religious-freedom state-federal-conflict Whether there is a conflict of state and federal law with regards to marijuana/hashish and/or mescaline
21-5980 Jerome Curtis Stancil v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-10-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP armed-career-criminal-act commerce-clause controlled-substances-act distribution serious-drug-offense social-sharing Whether socially sharing drugs with a friend qualifies as 'distribution' under the ACCA's 'serious-drug-offense' definition
21-276 Safehouse v. Department of Justice, et al. Third Circuit 2021-08-25 Denied Amici (4)Response Waived commerce-clause controlled-substances-act federalism felony-statute medical-supervision opioid-crisis overdose-prevention public-health public-health-intervention Does 21 U.S.C. § 856(a) make it a felony to offer medically supervised consumption services for the purpose of preventing opioid overdose deaths?
21-5261 Shakeel Kahn v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-07-29 Judgment Issued Relisted (2)IFP controlled-substances-act disjunctive-conjunctive good-faith-defense legitimate-medical-purpose mens-rea usual-course-professional-practice where-government-prosecutes-medical-practitioner-controlled-substances-act
20-1765 Donald S. Harden v. United States Seventh Circuit 2021-06-22 Denied Response Waived but-for-causation circuit-split controlled-substances-act death-results ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ineffective-counsel jury-instruction jury-instructions sentencing For a death-results sentence under the Controlled Substances Act, must a jury be instructed as to but-for cause if the evidence of causation is confli…
20-7831 Lena Lasher v. United States Second Circuit 2021-04-22 Dismissed Response WaivedIFP appellate-review constitutional-rights controlled-substances-act defective-indictment drug-definition ex-post-facto food-drug-cosmetics-act indictment-defect lack-of-physical-evidence Did the Appellate Court deny the Plaintiff her constitutional rights by denying her Appeal 18-2693 (L) without addressing the District Court's violati…
20-7617 Willie Lee Lewis v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-03-31 GVR Relisted (4)IFP armed-career-criminal-act controlled-substances-act felony-drug-offense first-step-act sentence-enhancement serious-drug-offense statutory-interpretation Does the First Step Act's addition of a definition for 'felony drug offense' to section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. § 802, also al…
20-1332 Eric D. Speidell, et al. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-03-24 Denied cannabis-legality civil-rights controlled-substances-act drug-law-investigation federal-preemption isr-summons standing state-legalization supremacy-clause warrant-requirement Under the Supremacy Clause, does Colorado's expressly state legal sales of cannabis violate the Controlled Substances Act?
20-1283 Margaret Temponeras v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-03-17 Denied Response Waived circuit-split controlled-substances-act criminal-liability medical-boards medical-practice pain-management pharmaceutical-companies prosecutorial-discretion vagueness vagueness-doctrine Whether 21 U.S.C. § 841 and 21 C.F.R. § 1306.04 are unconstitutionally vague whereas the term 'legitimate medical purpose' does not provide fair notic…
20-7324 Malcolm Elbray Traywicks, Jr. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-03-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law attorney-general controlled-substances-act delegation-of-power due-process prosecutorial-discretion scheduling-authority separation-of-powers Does the Congressional delegation of power to the Attorney General permitting scheduling of substances under the Controlled Substances Act violate due…
20-645 Standing Akimbo, LLC, et al. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-11-12 Denied Relisted (13) 16th-amendment 4th-amendment controlled-substances-act fifth-amendment fourth-amendment preemption self-incrimination state-rights supremacy-clause tax-law Does Colorado's state-legal cannabis sales violate the Controlled Substances Act?
20-6117 David M. Wasanyi v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-10-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law controlled-substances-act diversion-amendment due-process equal-protection food-and-drug-agency healthcare-services minority-health Whether the Federal government infringed on Petitioner's rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Con…
20-338 Johnny Clyde Benjamin, Jr. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-09-15 Denied Response Waived 11th-circuit controlled-substances-act criminal-indictment federal-district-court furanyl-fentanyl indictment jurisdictional-defect statutory-interpretation subject-matter-jurisdiction Did the district court have subject matter jurisdiction over this case?
20-148 Marvin Washington, et al. v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al. Second Circuit 2020-08-13 Denied Amici (9)Response Waived 5th-amendment administrative-review controlled-substances-act due-process federal-patents medical-cannabis Can Congress criminalize medical cannabis without exception?
20-136 Tremayne T. Dozier v. United States Seventh Circuit 2020-08-07 Denied circuit-split controlled-substances-act criminal-law felony-definition prior-felony-convictions sentencing-enhancement sentencing-enhancements sentencing-scheme statutory-interpretation statutory-sentencing-scheme Whether an offense is 'punishable by imprisonment for more than one year' when the maximum term permitted by the applicable statutory sentencing schem…
19-1313 Donovan Dave Dixon v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-05-22 Denied Response Waived controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-liability drug-trafficking gonzalez-v-oregon medical-malpractice medical-practice mens-rea standard-of-care Whether juries must be instructed that the government must prove that a physician acted with the mens rea of intent as to issuing a prescription outsi…
19-1296 Helix TCS, Inc. v. Robert Kenney Tenth Circuit 2020-05-15 Denied controlled-substances controlled-substances-act fair-labor-standards-act federal-drug-crime federal-drug-crimes marijuana-trafficking minimum-wages private-right-of-action tenth-circuit-ruling uniform-application-of-federal-law Whether the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201, et seq., confers a private right of action to recover minimum wages for conduct that violates t…
19-1222 Nathan Duckworth v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-04-16 Denied civil-asset-forfeiture civil-procedure constitutional-concerns controlled-substances-act due-process property-rights seizure-of-currency standing substantial-connection-test takings tenth-circuit Whether the government is required to show a substantial connection between money it has seized and an intended violation of the Controlled Substances…
19-6687 Demetrius Marcellus Green v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-11-20 Denied IFP categorical-approach controlled-substances-act criminal-law eighth-circuit felony-drug-offense fifth-circuit legal-uncertainty state-conviction statutory-interpretation Whether the categorical approach is required to determine if a State conviction qualifies as a 'felony drug offense' under the Controlled Substances A…
19-6436 Bharanidharan Padmanabhan v. Drug Enforcement Administration District of Columbia 2019-10-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 10th-amendment administrative-law agency-deference controlled-substances controlled-substances-act due-process federal-agencies individual-rights liberty-interest property-interest state-authority state-law tenth-amendment Are federal agencies exempt from complying with the Tenth Amendment such that they can deem State law 'irrelevant' and violate the individual rights o…
19-5975 Juan Jose Tull-Abreu v. United States First Circuit 2019-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP aggravated-identity-theft compulsory-process confrontation-clause conspiracy controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process fourteenth-amendment health-care-fraud identity-theft sixth-amendment Whether the petitioner participated in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud
19-129 Neil Feinberg, et al. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue Tenth Circuit 2019-07-26 Denied Response Waived civil-rights controlled-substances-act drug-policy drug-trafficking federal-preemption federalism interstate-commerce irs-tax-code marijuana-legalization preemption state-legalization state-rights tax-law Did the Tenth Circuit err in holding that the Controlled Substances Act superseded and preempted Colorado marijuana laws?
19-28 Kenneth Daniels v. United States Third Circuit 2019-07-02 Denied Relisted (2) aggravated-felony armed-career-criminal-act attempt controlled-substances-act criminal-attempt drug-distribution immigration-and-nationality-act immigration-law solicitation uniform-administration Whether solicitation can by itself constitute an 'attempt' within the meaning of the Controlled Substances Act
18-1582 Bryan A. Krumm, CNP v. Drug Enforcement Administration District of Columbia 2019-06-26 Denied Response Waived administrative-law cannabis-scheduling controlled-substances controlled-substances-act dea federalism mandamus-relief medical-marijuana medical-use scheduling witness-testimony Can the Attorney General and DEA continue Schedule 1 placement of Cannabis now that it has 'accepted medical use' in 33 States, the District of Columb…
18-1511 Ajay S. Ahuja v. United States Second Circuit 2019-06-04 Denied Response Waived administrative-law article-iii-standing civil-penalties controlled-substances-act opioid-epidemic record-keeping-requirements rule-of-lenity standing statutory-construction statutory-interpretation Does 21 U.S.C. § 842(c)(1)(B)(i) permit cumulative fines for technical violations of 21 U.S.C. § 842(a)(5)?
18-8287 Gregory D. Kilpatrick v. Uttam Dhillon, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Second Circuit 2019-03-05 Dismissed Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure-standing-patent-takings-due-proce administrative-law civil-rights controlled-substances-act due-process equal-protection standing Whether the DEA's denial of a petition to reschedule marijuana violates the Controlled Substances Act and the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause
18-1131 United States v. Eric Quinn Franklin Ninth Circuit 2019-02-28 Dismissed accomplice-liability armed-career-criminal-act categorical-approach controlled-substances-act mens-rea serious-drug-offense state-drug-offense statutory-interpretation Whether a state drug offense must categorically match the elements of a generic analogue offense, including with respect to the mens rea for any poten…
18-7737 Tyshawn Simmons v. United States Second Circuit 2019-02-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law controlled-substances-act criminal-procedure drug-crimes due-process federalism sentencing standing statutory-interpretation tenth-amendment Whether the Controlled Substances Act's prohibition on the distribution of marijuana violates the Due Process Clause and the Tenth Amendment
18-7264 Joel E. Miller v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-01-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP controlled-substances controlled-substances-act criminal-liability drug-trafficking gonzales-v-oregon jury-instructions medical-malpractice medical-practice medical-practitioner prosecutorial-discretion standard-of-care united-states-v-moore Whether the phrase 'issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his professional practice' mus…
18-5383 James Rodney Shuman v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2018-07-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP apprendi-v-new-jersey armed-career-criminal-act armed-career-criminal-act-acca controlled-substances-act drug-offenses due-process mathis-v-united-states sentencing-enhancement serious-drug-offense sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation taylor-v-united-states vagueness void-for-vagueness whether-the-appellate-court's-interpretation-and-application-of-the-armed-career-criminal-act-(acca)-is-contrary-to-supreme-court-precedent