OR · 21usc841:quantity
PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.
Exact element source
1 kilogram or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin;Source:
docroot/ir/usc/title21.jsonl#title21_sec841; Unicode character offsets [658:744] (end exclusive); SHA-256 ebaba73bf6e21a591f44bf851f24a052a5687813c505030cd9483e17753e9420.All variants
| Variant | Description | Merits instance blocks | Distinct cases | Example cases (up to 3 per group) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lower-tier-supported/sentence-within-proved-quantity-maximum | 1 Satisfied 1; not satisfied 0; excluded context 0 | 1 | /f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 — satisfied | |
| mixture-or-substance/carrier-medium-weight-included | 1 Satisfied 1; not satisfied 0; excluded context 0 | 1 | /us/500/0453-01 — Supreme Court of the United States · 1991 — satisfied | |
| mixture-or-substance/usable-plant-parts-with-detectable-drug-included | 0 Satisfied 0; not satisfied 0; excluded context 1 | 0 | No counted merits examples Excluded context examples: /f3d/20/0229-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 1994 — comparator/merits | |
| threshold-found-by-jury/special-interrogatory | 1 Satisfied 1; not satisfied 0; excluded context 1 | 1 | /f-supp-3d/225/0274-01 — United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 — satisfied Excluded context examples: /f-supp-3d/225/0274-01 — United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 — background/merits | |
| threshold-not-found-by-jury/lab-weight-below-charged-tier | 1 Satisfied 0; not satisfied 1; excluded context 0 | 1 | /f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 — not | |
| Unspecified variant | No variant assigned in the database. | 0 Satisfied 0; not satisfied 0; excluded context 4 | 0 | No counted merits examples Excluded context examples: /f-supp-2d/427/0894-01 — United States District Court for the District of Minnesota · 2006 — background/merits; /f2d/779/1098-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1986 — applied/merits; /f4th/142/259 — Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2025 — comparator/merits |
How courts decided this element
| Case | Element | Holding and scope | Variant | Exact source quotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /f-supp-2d/427/0894-01 — United States District Court for the District of Minnesota · 2006 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts background / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A) (b)(1)(A) is charged; quantity is never discussed (affidavit mentions about one ounce of crack recovered in the January search). | Unspecified variant | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| /f-supp-3d/225/0274-01 — United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A); count: Count 2, (b)(1)(A) 50 g methamphetamine tier; subject: count=Count 2, (b)(1)(A) 50 g methamphetamine tier Jury finding by special interrogatory; the roughly 55 g parcel is the only Count 2 quantity evidence the opinion recites. The finding is not challenged and the judge states no holding on it, hence no held line. | threshold-found-by-jury/special-interrogatory | In answers to special interrogatories, the jury found that each count involved 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, as charged.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f_supp_3d_225.jsonl#/f-supp-3d/225/0274-01; Unicode character offsets [2174:2301] (end exclusive); SHA-256 7c9b8effe79b40465d8f54b688db37727be6b83430d03638ebb585ba402cc592.Inside was approximately 55 grams of nearly pure methamphetamine.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f_supp_3d_225.jsonl#/f-supp-3d/225/0274-01; Unicode character offsets [19762:19827] (end exclusive); SHA-256 7c9b8effe79b40465d8f54b688db37727be6b83430d03638ebb585ba402cc592. |
| /f-supp-3d/225/0274-01 — United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | satisfied Excluded from merits counts background / merits basis: proved; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A); count: Count 1 (21 U.S.C. 846 conspiracy-wide quantity, 50 g tier); subject: count=Count 1 (21 U.S.C. 846 conspiracy-wide quantity, 50 g tier) The held sentence concerns only the conspiracy-wide quantity on the 846 count (the 841(b)(1)(A) threshold reached through 846), so it is background for 841. The same special-interrogatory finding is quoted in the Count 2 block. Weight of the 2009 Missouri seizure (about a pound, per supplier's testimony and a photograph) did not need to be found. | threshold-found-by-jury/special-interrogatory | There was overwhelming evidentiary support for the jury’s answer of “yes” to that question, and Ms. Tiangco does not directly challenge it in this motion.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f_supp_3d_225.jsonl#/f-supp-3d/225/0274-01; Unicode character offsets [15889:16043] (end exclusive); SHA-256 7c9b8effe79b40465d8f54b688db37727be6b83430d03638ebb585ba402cc592. |
| /f2d/779/1098-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1986 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1) Pre-1986-amendment sentencing; quantity matters only as evidence of intent. | Unspecified variant | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| /f3d/20/0229-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 1994 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | satisfied Excluded from merits counts comparator / merits basis: law; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(D); theory: Sentencing Guidelines 2D1.1 drug weight ("mixture or substance" has the same meaning as in 841); subject: theory=Sentencing Guidelines 2D1.1 drug weight ("mixture or substance" has the same meaning as in 841) Decided under the Guidelines, whose "mixture or substance" tracks 841(b); the statutory (b)(1)(D) tier itself (under 50 kg) was not in dispute. The rule line is Guidelines commentary quoted by the court, not the court's own formulation. | mixture-or-substance/usable-plant-parts-with-detectable-drug-included | Defendant’s argument, however, overlooks the fact that the testimony at trial revealed that the stalks and seeds of a marijuana plant contain a detectable amount of the controlled substance.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_20.jsonl#/f3d/20/0229-01; Unicode character offsets [28420:28610] (end exclusive); SHA-256 1b8c4fb6d1b27c83cc97582c53236d4fe132b40a4a1a11e5f6552d400bb8d267.Mixture or substance does not include materials that must be separated from the controlled substance before the controlled substance can be used.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_20.jsonl#/f3d/20/0229-01; Unicode character offsets [27287:27432] (end exclusive); SHA-256 1b8c4fb6d1b27c83cc97582c53236d4fe132b40a4a1a11e5f6552d400bb8d267.Thus, in contrast to the examples cited in the commentary note, the stalks and seeds need not be separated before the controlled substance can be used. Accordingly, the stalks and seeds are to be used in calculating the weight of a controlled substance.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_20.jsonl#/f3d/20/0229-01; Unicode character offsets [28611:28864] (end exclusive); SHA-256 1b8c4fb6d1b27c83cc97582c53236d4fe132b40a4a1a11e5f6552d400bb8d267. |
| /f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: no-evidence; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A),(b)(1)(B); count: count eight, (b)(1)(A) 50-gram cocaine-base tier; subject: count=count eight, (b)(1)(A) 50-gram cocaine-base tier Post-Apprendi, quantity is treated as an element for the aggravated tiers. "Approximately two ounces" (56.7 g) in the indictment plus a general admission of guilt did not establish >50 g when the chemist weighed 44.6 g; no jury finding on quantity. | threshold-not-found-by-jury/lab-weight-below-charged-tier | In this case, count eight of the indictment alleges that, on July 10, 1998, Mi. Hishaw “did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute approximately tivo (2) ounces of cocaine base (crack), a Schedule II controlled substance.”Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [32715:32960] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.The total weight of the substances identified by the chemist was thus 44.6 grams — less than the fifty-gram amount required to trigger the ten-years-to-life sentencing provisions of § 841(b)(1)(A).Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [35844:36041] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.Mr. Hishaw responded, “Yes.... That’s mine.... I accept my responsibility for that.”Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [36374:36458] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.We agree with the reasoning of these decisions and conclude that, under § 841(b)(1), the quantity of drugs is a fact that may “increase[ ] the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum” and therefore “must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [32397:32683] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.In light of the indictment’s ambiguous allegation as to the quantity of cocaine base involved, and because of Apprendi, we conclude that the failure to require specific findings regarding the quantity of cocaine constitutes a “plain or obvious” error.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [33719:33970] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.Because the government’s evidence established possession of only 44.6 grams, Mr. Hishaw’s “accept[ance] [of] responsibility” for the cocaine base alleged in count eight, cannot be viewed as an admission that he possessed more than that amount.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [36825:37068] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3. |
| /f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A),(b)(1)(B); count: count eight, (b)(1)(B) 5-gram cocaine-base tier; subject: count=count eight, (b)(1)(B) 5-gram cocaine-base tier The Apprendi error is harmless under plain-error prong three: the 360-month sentence is within the 5-40 year range for the 44.6 g actually proved; judge-found relevant conduct (1857 g, from hung counts) may set the guideline sentence inside that range. No jury actually found >5 g; the court relies on uncontested trial evidence plus the admission. | lower-tier-supported/sentence-within-proved-quantity-maximum | According to the chemist, each of the seven baggies contained a caked substance that tested positive for cocaine base and that weighed the following amounts: 5.5 grams, 6.4 grams, 6.5 grams, 6.5 grams, 6.5 grams, 6.5 grams, and 6.7 grams.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [35605:35843] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.In our view, as long as the defendant’s sentence falls within the maximum established by statute, Apprendi does not foreclose consideration of drug quantities beyond the offense of conviction.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [39370:39562] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.Thus, Mr. Hishaw’s 360 month sentence on his § 841 conviction falls within that statutory maximum.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [37317:37415] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.Accordingly, we conclude that in light of his admission that he possessed cocaine base and the fact that his sentence fell within the statutory maximum sentence for the drug quantity proved by the government at trial, Mr. Hishaw was not prejudiced by the failure to submit the question of drug quantity to the jury.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [41993:42308] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3. |
| /f4th/142/259 — Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2025 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts comparator / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) | Unspecified variant | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| /us/500/0453-01 — Supreme Court of the United States · 1991 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: law; claim: (a),(b)(1)(B)(v); count: (b)(1)(B)(v) 5-year mandatory-minimum tier (1 gram or more of LSD mixture); subject: count=(b)(1)(B)(v) 5-year mandatory-minimum tier (1 gram or more of LSD mixture) Gross "street weight" of drug plus ingestible carrier it is diffused in counts; pure-drug weight is irrelevant except for PCP/methamphetamine. Containers and packaging (vial, car) are excluded because not mixed with the drug. | mixture-or-substance/carrier-medium-weight-included | Petitioners Richard L. Chapman, John M. Schoenecker, and Patrick Brumm were convicted of selling 10 sheets (1,000 doses) of blotter paper containing LSD, in violation of § 841(a).Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [480:659] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.The ten sheets of blotter paper carrying the 1,000 doses sold by petitioners weighed 5.7 grams; the LSD by itself weighed only about 50 milligrams, not even close to the one gram necessary to trigger the 5-year mandatory minimum of §841(b)(1)(B)(v).Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [4253:4502] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.The LSD crystals are inside of the paper, so that they are commingled with it, but the LSD does not chemically combine with the paper.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [12276:12410] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.So long as it contains a detectable amount, the entire mixture or substance is to be weighed when calculating the sentence.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [5764:5887] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.The term does not include LSD in a bot-tie, or LSD in a car, because the drug is easily distinguished from, and separated from, such a “container.”Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [13259:13406] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.We think that the blotter paper used in this case, and blotter paper customarily used to distribute LSD, is a “mixture or substance containing a detectable amount” of LSD.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [11045:11216] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.We hold that the statute requires the weight of the carrier medium to be included when determining the appropriate sentence for trafficking in LSD, and that this construction is neither a violation of due process nor unconstitutionally vague.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [23201:23443] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c. |
| /us/571/0204-01 — Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) One gram; (b)(1)(C) is the no-threshold tier, so quantity was not in issue. | Unspecified variant | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
Court interpretations
interpretation
So long as it contains a detectable amount, the entire mixture or substance is to be weighed when calculating the sentence.
/us/500/0453-01 — Supreme Court of the United States · 1991
So long as it contains a detectable amount, the entire mixture or substance is to be weighed when calculating the sentence.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [5764:5887] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.
interpretation
The term does not include LSD in a bot-tie, or LSD in a car, because the drug is easily distinguished from, and separated from, such a “container.”
/us/500/0453-01 — Supreme Court of the United States · 1991
The term does not include LSD in a bot-tie, or LSD in a car, because the drug is easily distinguished from, and separated from, such a “container.”Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_500.jsonl#/us/500/0453-01; Unicode character offsets [13259:13406] (end exclusive); SHA-256 9c5fd40cbce1f1caf4effb469b4d262677c3bae7a486aaca29dd0c70e05d713c.PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.
interpretation
Mixture or substance does not include materials that must be separated from the controlled substance before the controlled substance can be used.
/f3d/20/0229-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 1994
Mixture or substance does not include materials that must be separated from the controlled substance before the controlled substance can be used.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_20.jsonl#/f3d/20/0229-01; Unicode character offsets [27287:27432] (end exclusive); SHA-256 1b8c4fb6d1b27c83cc97582c53236d4fe132b40a4a1a11e5f6552d400bb8d267.PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.
interpretation
We agree with the reasoning of these decisions and conclude that, under § 841(b)(1), the quantity of drugs is a fact that may “increase[ ] the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum” and therefore “must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”
/f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000
We agree with the reasoning of these decisions and conclude that, under § 841(b)(1), the quantity of drugs is a fact that may “increase[ ] the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum” and therefore “must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [32397:32683] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.
interpretation
In our view, as long as the defendant’s sentence falls within the maximum established by statute, Apprendi does not foreclose consideration of drug quantities beyond the offense of conviction.
/f3d/235/0565-01 — United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000
In our view, as long as the defendant’s sentence falls within the maximum established by statute, Apprendi does not foreclose consideration of drug quantities beyond the offense of conviction.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [39370:39562] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3.PARTIAL_THRESHOLD_TABLE: this entry anchors the § 841(b)(1) drug-specific threshold matrix without pretending that one heroin threshold quote enumerates every listed substance and tier. Under Chapman v. United States (500 U.S. 453 (1991)), "mixture or substance" includes the carrier medium in which the drug is marketed/consumed, but not unusable waste water or packaging containers that must be separated before use.