Commonwealth v. Hutchins
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
575 N.E.2d 741 (1991)
Relevant factsFree
Hutchins (defendant), diagnosed with an incurable, debilitating disease and unable to obtain a legal marijuana prescription or research-study access, presented medical evidence that marijuana somewhat alleviated his severe symptoms; charged with marijuana possession, he sought to raise a medical-necessity defense, but the trial court ruled it unavailable, and he was convicted and appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a defense of necessity is only available if the harm sought to be avoided far exceeds the harm resulting from violation of the law.