Ruplenas v. Commonwealth

Preliminary Statement.

Each of these appeals from marijuana convictions involves a single issue, viz., whether the penalties provided by Code § 18.2-248.1 must be applied to offenses occurring prior to the effective date of the statute (July 1, 1979), when trial and sentencing occurred after the effective date. Although these cases were tried separately in the courts below, and the evidence was not identical, a construction of the same statutes is required to determine whether the respective trial courts correctly resolved the issues.

Trial Court Proceedings.

David Ruplenas (Ruplenas) was…