884                                 Laws of Maryland                         Ch. 403

substances of natural origin, or independently by means of chemical
synthesis or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis.
"Manufacturer" includes any person who packages, repackages, or
labels any container of any controlled dangerous substance, except
practitioners who dispense or compound prescription orders for
delivery to the ultimate user.

(q) "Narcotic Drug" shall mean any of the following, whether
produced directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of
vegetable origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis,
or by a combination of extraction and chemical synthesis; and which
have been found to present an extreme danger to the health and
welfare of the community because of their addiction-forming and
addictive-sustaining liabilities:

(i) "opiate" which shall mean any dangerous substance having
an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to mor-
phine or being capable of conversion into a drug having such addic-
tion-forming or addiction-sustaining liability; and the "opium poppy"
which shall mean the plant of the species Papaver somniferum L.,
except the seeds thereof, and the "poppy straw" which shall mean
all parts, except the seeds, of the opium poppy, after mowing; and
coca leaves which shall mean cocaine and any compound, manufac-
ture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of coca leaves, except
derivatives of coca leaves which do not contain cocaine, ecgonine
or substances from which cocaine or ecgonine may be synthesized
or made;

(ii) a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, or preparation of
opium, coca leaves, or opiates;

(iii) a substance and any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative,
or preparation thereof which is chemically identical with any of the
substances referred to in clauses (1) and (2), except that the words
"narcotic drug" as used in this include decocainized coca leaves or
extracts of coca leaves, which extracts do not contain cocaine or
ecgonine.

(r) "Person" shall mean any corporation, association, partner-
ship or one or more individuals.

(s) "Possession" shall mean the exercise of actual or constructive
dominion or control over a thing by one or more persons.

(t) "Practitioner" shall mean one of the following:

"physician" shall mean any person authorized by law to practice
medicine in this State.

"dentist" and "veterinarian" shall mean any person authorized by
law to practice DENTISTRY OR VETERINARY MEDICINE in
this State.

"hospital" shall mean an institution for the care and treatment
of the sick and injured approved by the Department of Health,
State of Maryland, as proper to be entrusted with the custody of
controlled dangerous substances under the direction of a physician,
dentist, or veterinarian, or "scientific investigator," "pharmacy,"
laboratory, or other persons licensed, registered, or otherwise per-
mitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or
administer a controlled dangerous substance in the course of pro-