1756                                     LAWS OF MARYLAND                                 Ch. 859

Approved May 24, 1973.

CHAPTER 859
(House Bill 1309)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 279(b) and (c) of
Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1972 Supplement), title
"Crimes and Punishments," subtitle "I Crimes and Punishments," subheading
"Health-Controlled Dangerous Substances," to reschedule certain controlled
dangerous substances, relettering and adding new substances to the schedules.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Section 279 (b) and (c) of Article 27 of the Annotated Code
of Maryland (1972 Supplement), title "Crimes and Punishments," subtitle "I.
Crimes and Punishments," subheading "Health-Controlled Dangerous Substances,"
is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments to read as follows:

279.

(b) In determining that a substance comes within this schedule, the Department
shall find:

1.   A high potential for abuse, and

2.    Currently accepted medical use in the United States, or currently accepted
medical use with severe restrictions, and

3.   Abuse may lead to severe psychic or physical dependence.

The following are controlled dangerous substances and are included in this
schedule:

a.    Any of the following substances except those narcotic drugs listed in other
schedules whether produced directly or indirectly by extraction from substances of
vegetable origin, or independently by means of chemical synthesis, or by
combination of extraction and chemical synthesis:

1.   Opium, coca leaves, and opiate;

2.     Any salt, compound, derivative, or preparation of opium, coca leaves, or
opiate;

3.    Any salt, compound, derivative, or preparation thereof which is chemically
equivalent or identical with any of the substances referred to in clauses 1 and 2,
except that these substances shall not include decocainized coca leaves or
extraction of coca leaves, which extractions do not contain cocaine or ecgonine;
and shall not include the isoquinoline alkaloids of opium;

4.   Opium, poppy and poppy straw.

b.     Any of the following opiates, including their isomers, esters, ethers, salts,
and salts of isomers, esters and ethers, unless specifically excepted, whenever the
existence of such isomers, esters, ethers and salts is possible within the specific
chemical designation;