(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, distribute,
dispense, or possess with intent to distribute a controlled
substance or marijuana or a counterfeit substance in, on, or within
1,000 feet of any real property which has been dedicated and set
apart by the governing authority of any municipality or county for
use as a park, playground, recreation center, or for any other
recreation purposes, unless the manufacture, distribution, or
dispensing is otherwise allowed by law. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, distribute,
dispense, or possess with intent to distribute a controlled
substance or marijuana or a counterfeit substance in, on, or within
1,000 feet of any real property of any publicly owned or publicly
operated housing project, unless the manufacture, distribution, or
dispensing is otherwise allowed by law. For the purposes of this
Code section, the term "housing project" means any facilities under
the jurisdiction of a housing authority which constitute single or
multifamily dwelling units occupied by low and moderate-income
families pursuant to Chapter 3 of Title 8. (c) Any person who violates or conspires to violate subsection (a)
or (b) 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. (d) A conviction arising under this Code section shall not merge
with a conviction arising under any other provision of this article. (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 any publicly owned or
publicly operated housing project or the real property set apart for
use as a park, playground, recreation center, or for any other
recreation 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) The governing authority of a municipality or county may adopt
regulations requiring the posting of signs designating the areas
within 1,000 feet of any lands or buildings set apart for use as
parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, or any other recreation
purposes as "Drug-free Recreation Zones" and designating the areas
within 1,000 feet of the real property of any publicly owned or
publicly operated housing project as "Drug-free Residential 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 subsections (a) and (b) of this Code
section. |