Section 5-618 - Possession or purchase of noncontrolled substance. - Maryland Statutes

§ 5-618. Possession or purchase of noncontrolled substance.
 

(a)  Prohibited.- Except as authorized in this title, a person may not possess or purchase a noncontrolled substance that the person reasonably believes is a controlled dangerous substance. 

(b)  Considerations.- To determine if a person has violated this section, the court shall include in its consideration: 

(1) whether the noncontrolled substance was packaged in a manner normally used to illegally distribute a controlled dangerous substance; 

(2) if the noncontrolled substance was purchased, whether the amount of the consideration was substantially greater than the reasonable value of the noncontrolled substance; and 

(3) whether the physical appearance of the noncontrolled substance is substantially identical to that of a controlled dangerous substance. 

(c)  Reasonable belief not a defense.- It is not a defense to a prosecution under this section that the substance a person possessed or purchased was not a controlled dangerous substance if the person reasonably believed that it was a controlled dangerous substance. 

(d)  Penalty.- A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $500 or both. 
 

[An. Code 1957, art. 27, § 287B(b)-(e); 2002, ch. 26, § 2.]