(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, distribute,
dispense, or possess with intent to distribute a controlled
substance or marijuana in, on, or within 1,000 feet of any real
property owned by or leased to any public or private elementary
school, secondary school, or school board used for elementary or
secondary education. (b) Any person who violates or conspires to violate subsection (a)
of this Code section shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction
shall receive the following punishment: (1) Upon a first conviction, imprisonment for not more than 20
years or a fine of not more than $20,000.00, or both; or (2) Upon a second or subsequent conviction, imprisonment for not
less than five years nor more than 40 years or a fine of not more
than $40,000.00, or both. It shall be mandatory for the court to
impose a minimum sentence of five years which may not be suspended
unless otherwise provided by law. A sentence imposed under this Code section shall be served
consecutively to any other sentence imposed. (c) A conviction arising under this Code section shall not merge
with a conviction arising under any other provision of this article. (d) It shall be no defense to a prosecution for a violation of this
Code section that: (1) School was or was not in session at the time of the offense; (2) The real property was being used for other purposes besides
school purposes at the time of the offense; or (3) The offense took place on a school vehicle. (e) In a prosecution under this Code section, a map produced or
reproduced by any municipal or county agency or department for the
purpose of depicting the location and boundaries of the area on or
within 1,000 feet of the real property of a school board or a
private or public elementary or secondary school that is used for
school purposes, or a true copy of the map, shall, if certified as a
true copy by the custodian of the record, be admissible and shall
constitute prima-facie evidence of the location and boundaries of
the area, if the governing body of the municipality or county has
approved the map as an official record of the location and
boundaries of the area. A map approved under this Code section may
be revised from time to time by the governing body of the
municipality or county. The original of every map approved or
revised under this subsection or a true copy of such original map
shall be filed with the municipality or county and shall be
maintained as an official record of the municipality or county.
This subsection shall not preclude the prosecution from introducing
or relying upon any other evidence or testimony to establish any
element of this offense. This subsection shall not preclude the use
or admissibility of a map or diagram other than the one which has
been approved by the municipality or county.
(f) A county school board may adopt regulations requiring the
posting of signs designating the areas within 1,000 feet of school
boards and private or public elementary and secondary schools as
"Drug-free School Zones." (g) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution for a violation of
this Code section that the prohibited conduct took place entirely
within a private residence, that no person 17 years of age or
younger was present in such private residence at any time during the
commission of the offense, and that the prohibited conduct was not
carried on for purposes of financial gain. Nothing in this
subsection shall be construed to establish an affirmative defense
with respect to any offense under this chapter other than the
offense provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section. |