Marvin Mandel, Governor                        1091

(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] addiction sustaining liabilities:

(i) "opiate" [which] shall mean any [dangerous] substance hav-
ing an addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability similar to
morphine or being capable of conversion into a drug having such
addiction-forming or addiction-sustaining liability. It does not in-
clude, unless specifically designated as controlled under Section 278
of this subheading, the dextrorotatory isomer of 3-methoxy-n-methyl-
morphion and its salts (dextromethorphon). MORPHINAN AND
ITS SALTS (DEXTROMETHORPHAN). It does include its race-
mic and levorotatory forms; and [the] "opium poppy" which shall
mean the plant of the species Papaver somniferium 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, manufacture, 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)] (i) and [(2)] (ii), except
that the words "narcotic drug" as used in this [section] include
decocainized coca leaves or extracts of coca leaves, which extracts do
not contain cocaine or ecgonine.

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

(1)  A physician, dentist, veterinarian, scientific investigator, or
other person licensed, registered or otherwise permitted to distribute,
dispense, conduct research with respect to or administer a controlled
dangerous substance in the course of professional practice or research
in this State.

(a)  "physician" shall mean any person authorized by law to prac-
tice medicine in this State.

(b)   "dentist" and "veterinarian" shall mean any person authorized
by law to practice dentistry or veterinary medicine in this State.

(2)  A pharmacy, laboratory, hospital or other institution licensed,
registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct
research with respect to or to administer a controlled dangerous sub-
stance in the course of professional practice or research in the State.

(a) "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 con-
trolled dangerous substances under the direction of a physician, den-
tist, or veterinarian [, or "scientific investigator," "pharmacy,"
laboratory, or other persons licensed, registered, or otherwise