AND · 21usc841:substance
Includes controlled substance analogues treated as Schedule I under 21 U.S.C. § 813 when intended for human consumption (McFadden v. United States, 576 U.S. 186 (2015)).
Exact element source
a controlled substance; orSource:
docroot/ir/usc/title21.jsonl#title21_sec841; Unicode character offsets [256:282] (end exclusive); SHA-256 ebaba73bf6e21a591f44bf851f24a052a5687813c505030cd9483e17753e9420.a counterfeit substance.Source:
docroot/ir/usc/title21.jsonl#title21_sec841; Unicode character offsets [373:397] (end exclusive); SHA-256 ebaba73bf6e21a591f44bf851f24a052a5687813c505030cd9483e17753e9420.Routes and case patterns
| Route | Definition | Merits instance blocks | Distinct merits cases | Examples (up to 3 cases per count group) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unclassified route provisional; 8 observed cases | no definition yet | 0 Satisfied 0; not satisfied 0; excluded context 8 | 0 | Used only in non-merits blocks (8). Excluded context examples:United States v. Person — 427 F. Supp. 2d 894 (2006) · United States District Court for the District of Minnesota · 2006 — not reached · basis not recorded (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) · background/merits · not counted United States v. Tiangco — 225 F. Supp. 3d 274 (2016) · United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 — not reached · basis not recorded (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: FIX (QA2, neov2/qa/cases-QA2.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) · applied/merits · not counted United States v. Vera — 701 F.2d 1349 (1983) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 1983 — not reached · basis not recorded (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) · applied/merits · not counted |
| _whole accepted; 4 observed cases | The element is decided as a whole: the reasoning turns on no narrower doctrinal sub-question that distinguishes it from any other application of this element. | 5 Satisfied 5; not satisfied 0; excluded context 0 | 4 | United States v. Griffin — 150 F.3d 778 (1998) · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1998 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/merits · counted United States v. Jenkins — 175 F.3d 1208 (1999) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1999 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/merits · counted United States v. Jenkins — 175 F.3d 1208 (1999) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1999 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/merits · counted United States v. Strayhorn — 250 F.3d 462 (2001) · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2001 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/merits · counted |
| identity-proof provisional; 3 observed cases | How the identity of the substance is proved. | 1 Satisfied 1; not satisfied 0; excluded context 2 | 1 | United States v. Hishaw — 235 F.3d 565 (2000) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA2, neov2/qa/cases-QA2.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) · applied/merits · counted United States v. Seals — 915 F.3d 1203 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/lower-court · not counted United States v. Rashun Suncar — 142 F.4th 259 (2025) · Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2025 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) · background/merits · not counted |
| scheduling provisional; provisional (1 case) | Whether the substance is a scheduled controlled substance. | 0 Satisfied 0; not satisfied 0; excluded context 1 | 0 | Used only in non-merits blocks (1). Excluded context examples:Moncrieffe v. Holder — 569 U.S. 184 (2013) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2013 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-QA1.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) · comparator/merits · not counted |
How courts decided this element
| Case | Element | Holding and scope | Pattern | Exact source quotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Person — 427 F. Supp. 2d 894 (2006) · United States District Court for the District of Minnesota · 2006 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts background / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A) | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Tiangco — 225 F. Supp. 3d 274 (2016) · United States District Court for the District of New Jersey · 2016 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: FIX (QA2, neov2/qa/cases-QA2.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A) | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Vera — 701 F.2d 1349 (1983) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 1983 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1) Quaaludes (methaqualone) and hashish; identity undisputed. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Prieto-Tejas — 779 F.2d 1098 (1986) · United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1986 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1) Cocaine, Schedule II; noted in a footnote, undisputed. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Griffin — 150 F.3d 778 (1998) · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1998 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1) The identity of the substance as cocaine was never disputed. | cocaine-identity-undisputed | After obtaining a search warrant, the government discovered not only $1,250,000 worth of cocaine, but also a digital gram scale, and a gun in Griffin’s briefcase.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_150.jsonl#/f3d/150/0778-01; Unicode character offsets [17130:17292] (end exclusive); SHA-256 c12bcba9bd82c213622c83568cb4d96b4026be74acb6bbc0a0083f4083d2318d. |
| United States v. Quintanar — 150 F.3d 902 (1998) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 1998 — not reached (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1) Methamphetamine in package not contested. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Jenkins — 175 F.3d 1208 (1999) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1999 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1); count: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; subject: count=Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base Identity of the substance was not disputed. | crack-cocaine-identity-undisputed | In addition, officers found a plastic bag containing cocaine base and marijuana cigarettes on top of a dresser, two small bags of marijuana on top of a large glass fish tank, and another plastic bag containing'butts of marijuana cigarettes in a closet in the bedroom.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_175.jsonl#/f3d/175/1208-01; Unicode character offsets [2500:2767] (end exclusive); SHA-256 be157a8f1cee3b5329a7d7b0bd0c99dcbde82f86a2379b654c059d9c5b407ed8. |
| United States v. Jenkins — 175 F.3d 1208 (1999) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 1999 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1); count: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana; subject: count=Possession with intent to distribute marijuana Identity of the substance was not disputed. | marijuana-identity-undisputed | Officers also discovered marijuana and roach clips in a cigar box, plastic sandwich bags, marijuana in a laundry basket, and $203 in cash and Ms. Payne’s driver’s license in a pocket of a pair of women’s jeans.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_175.jsonl#/f3d/175/1208-01; Unicode character offsets [2289:2499] (end exclusive); SHA-256 be157a8f1cee3b5329a7d7b0bd0c99dcbde82f86a2379b654c059d9c5b407ed8. |
| United States v. Hishaw — 235 F.3d 565 (2000) · United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · 2000 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA2, neov2/qa/cases-QA2.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(A),(b)(1)(B) | identity/lab-test-plus-defendant-admission | The government offered expert testimony at trial indicating that the suspected substance had tested positive for cocaine base. In trial testimony, Mr. Hishaw admitted that the substance was crack cocaine.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_235.jsonl#/f3d/235/0565-01; Unicode character offsets [4204:4408] (end exclusive); SHA-256 e39d6753bdf3d76861b3d1be40c57e6ef42ba592e6631a22b0ebfaf8386122f3. |
| United States v. Strayhorn — 250 F.3d 462 (2001) · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2001 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (b)(1)(B),(b)(1)(D) Marijuana; the defendant accepted responsibility for the 88 pounds seized. | marijuana-seized-and-admitted-by-plea | From the information gleaned from these recordings, federal agents executed a search at Strayhorn’s residence on January 17, 1998, where they recovered 48 pounds of marijuana, $3,000 in cash, and a handgun.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_250.jsonl#/f3d/250/0462-01; Unicode character offsets [2164:2370] (end exclusive); SHA-256 4e36f0efbac9dfc678e7da85ac0d7813765b7710d429828e0c4a9b5487c5aa94. |
| United States v. Soler — 275 F.3d 146 (2002) · United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2002 — satisfied · proved (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (a)(1) & (b)(1)(C) Heroin; identity of the substance was not contested on appeal. | heroin-sold-to-buyers-seeking-cocaine | As matters turned out, the bags contained heroin, not cocaine.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_275.jsonl#/f3d/275/0146-01; Unicode character offsets [2124:2186] (end exclusive); SHA-256 5ab68c28f5b4b624f668f41f8373fac72a69928b0a54ce5ed72262af98a77b09. |
| United States v. Kitchen — 57 F.3d 516 (1995) · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1995 — not reached (18usc922: author: Fable · not independently reviewed; 21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-QA1.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1) | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| United States v. Seals — 915 F.3d 1203 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (21usc841: author: Flash2 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Excluded from merits counts applied / lower-court basis: proved; claim: (a)(1) & (b)(1)(C) Jury finding only: identity of the sold substance (heroin/fentanyl mixture, lab-confirmed from the spoon residue) was not contested on appeal. | lab-identified-heroin-and-fentanyl | The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory later identified the residue as a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_915.jsonl#/f3d/915/1203-01; Unicode character offsets [2332:2452] (end exclusive); SHA-256 0c0f3dbba850770c03e9c113be73b3bfeebc1cb7411c0dd6cf11ae4545181b38. |
| United States v. Rashun Suncar — 142 F.4th 259 (2025) · Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 2025 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Excluded from merits counts background / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) Pills sold as oxycodone, charged as fentanyl under (b)(1)(C) (no quantity threshold); knowledge of the fentanyl content is not discussed. | identity/counterfeit-pills-containing-fentanyl | Twice, Suncar sold a confidential informant oxycodone pills, some of which contained a detectable amount of fentanyl.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f4th_142.jsonl#/f4th/142/259; Unicode character offsets [2811:2928] (end exclusive); SHA-256 334f66557f769d0766ebfd4e174c7501ca28424a1c56e12881d1271af5081f1e. |
| Chapman v. United States — 500 U.S. 453 (1991) · Supreme Court of the United States · 1991 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA2, neov2/qa/cases-QA2.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a),(b)(1)(B)(v) | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| Moncrieffe v. Holder — 569 U.S. 184 (2013) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2013 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-QA1.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | satisfied Excluded from merits counts comparator / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(D),(b)(4) | schedule-i/marijuana | (1) possession (2) of marijuana (a controlled substance), (3) with intent to distribute it.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_569.jsonl#/us/569/0184-01; Unicode character offsets [14158:14249] (end exclusive); SHA-256 83d74d149cfb2b77011039cc127c0214d4fc14fb10708357fa68e3629127e81b. |
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) Heroin (Schedule I) undisputed. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
Court interpretations
interpretation
(1) possession (2) of marijuana (a controlled substance), (3) with intent to distribute it.
Moncrieffe v. Holder — 569 U.S. 184 (2013) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2013 (21usc841: author: Fable · historical QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-QA1.md) · changed after review; current content not independently reviewed)
(1) possession (2) of marijuana (a controlled substance), (3) with intent to distribute it.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_569.jsonl#/us/569/0184-01; Unicode character offsets [14158:14249] (end exclusive); SHA-256 83d74d149cfb2b77011039cc127c0214d4fc14fb10708357fa68e3629127e81b.Includes controlled substance analogues treated as Schedule I under 21 U.S.C. § 813 when intended for human consumption (McFadden v. United States, 576 U.S. 186 (2015)).
not-required
Defendant's knowledge of the *specific* drug type or weight in order to be convicted of the base § 841(a)(1) offense, so long as defendant knew he possessed/distributed *some* controlled substance ( though specific drug type/quantity governs § 841(b) statutory maximums under Apprendi)
No source quotation recorded.