COURT OF APPEALS DECISION DATED AND FILED March 22, 2011 A.
John Voelker Acting Clerk of Court of Appeals |
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NOTICE |
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This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. A party may file with the Supreme Court a petition to review an adverse decision by the Court of Appeals. See Wis. Stat. § 808.10 and Rule 809.62. |
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Appeal No. |
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STATE OF |
IN COURT OF APPEALS |
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DISTRICT III |
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State of
Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Kenneth L. Driessen,
Defendant-Appellant. |
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APPEAL
from a judgment of the circuit court for
Before
¶1 PER CURIAM. Kenneth Driessen, pro se, appeals a judgment of conviction for possession of marijuana, second and subsequent offense; possession of drug paraphernalia; and operating while intoxicated, second offense. Driessen argues the circuit court erroneously denied his pretrial suppression motion. He further contends it is unconstitutional to criminalize marijuana possession, for various reasons. We reject Driessen’s arguments and affirm.
BACKGROUND
¶2 Deputy Brian Knapp observed a truck that had a loud exhaust and appeared to be speeding. Knapp followed. As Knapp activated his emergency lights and sirens, he observed the truck driving on the wrong side of the road. During the stop, Knapp found marijuana and a brass smoking pipe on Driessen’s person. Driessen was ultimately arrested for operating while intoxicated.
¶3 Driessen, proceeding pro se, moved to suppress evidence found during the stop. The circuit court denied the motion after an evidentiary hearing. Driessen was found guilty at a jury trial. Driessen moved for postconviction relief, again challenging the search and seizure. After a hearing, the court denied the motion in a written order “for the reasons set forth on the record at the time of the hearing.” Driessen now appeals.
DISCUSSION
¶4 Driessen first challenges the stop of his vehicle and a pat-down search of his person prior to arrest. The record on appeal does not contain a transcript of either the pretrial or postconviction motion hearings dealing with Driessen’s Fourth Amendment challenges.[1]
¶5 This court reviews a circuit court’s determination of whether
a person was seized under the Fourth Amendment as a constitutional fact. State
v. Young, 2006 WI 98, ¶17, 294
¶6 Driessen
challenges the factual findings underlying the circuit court’s decision to deny
his suppression motion. In the absence
of transcripts, his argument fails. “It
is the appellant’s burden to ensure that the record is sufficient to address
the issues raised on appeal.” Lee v. LIRC, 202
¶7 We next turn to Driessen’s challenge to the constitutionality of marijuana possession laws. In the circuit court, Driessen filed a “Notice of Claim of Unconstitutionality” arguing the criminalization of marijuana violated multiple constitutional rights because: 40.6% of Americans have used marijuana; people have an inherent right to the control of their minds and bodies; he holds a religious belief regarding marijuana use; potential jurors who have used marijuana would be too fearful to appear for his trial; and marijuana has proper medical uses. Driessen subsequently filed a nineteen-page motion to dismiss, challenging the constitutionality of Wis. Stat. §§ 961.41(3g)(e) and 961.573(1), further developing the issues raised earlier. It is unclear from Driessen’s brief whether the court took any action regarding Driessen’s filings.
¶8 First, we address Driessen’s argument that the laws
prohibiting marijuana possession violate his First Amendment rights. We apply the “compelling state interest/least
restrictive alternative test” when reviewing a claim that a state statute
violates freedom of exercise and freedom of conscience. State
v. Miller, 202
¶9 Driessen fails to demonstrate he has a sincerely held
religious belief that is burdened by the application of the state law
criminalizing marijuana possession. See
id. Rather, he merely states in his brief that he “believe[s]
cannabis use to be an important part of [his] religious and spiritual
experiences,” and offers to attend a hearing to express his sincerity in
further detail. Driessen fails to inform
us whether the circuit court made the factual determination that Driessen does
or does not hold such a belief. In the
absence of transcripts or citation to the record, Driessen’s claim fails. See
Holmgren, 229
¶10 Moreover, even if we were to shift the burden to the State to
prove the law is based on a compelling state interest that cannot be served by
a less restrictive alternative, Driessen’s claim fails. We have previously held that because marijuana causes serious problems for society,
there is a compelling state interest that overrides the First Amendment
interest in using marijuana for religious purposes.
¶11 Driessen next argues there is or should be a medical necessity
defense to possession of marijuana and that its omission leads to cruel and
unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
Driessen states he has depression, and provides an internet citation to
show that a psychologist has concluded marijuana is safe and effective for
treating depression. Driessen does not
assert, however, that any medical doctor has determined Driessen should use
marijuana for medicinal purposes or that he has a prescription for such
use. Nor does Driessen assert he
requested a jury instruction on necessity based on Wis. Stat. § 939.47.
We therefore decline to address his argument, as it is inadequately
developed. See
¶12 Driessen next asserts “unconstitutionality due to overwhelming popularity of use.” While he cites various cases and constitutional provisions, Driessen fails to develop a proper legal argument in support of this claim. We therefore decline to address his argument. See id.
¶13 Finally, Driessen argues he should have been charged with
ordinance violations rather than statutory criminal violations. Driessen’s argument is largely
incomprehensible. See id. Regardless, the State has great discretion in
deciding whether to prosecute a particular case. State
v. Kramer, 2001 WI 132, ¶14, 248
By the Court.—Judgment affirmed.
This opinion will not be published. See Wis. Stat. Rule 809.23(1)(b)5.
[1] Driessen asks us to compare a police report with an audio recording of an officer’s testimony, which Driessen apparently recorded and posted online at blip.tv and youtube.com. Our review is limited to the record on appeal. See Wis. Stat. Rules 809.15, 809.19(1)(d)-(e).
All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2009-10 version unless otherwise noted.