Mingling Poison or Harmful Substance With Food, Drink, Nonprescription Medicine, or Pharmaceutical Product, or Placing Poison or Harmful Substance in Spring, Well, Reservoir, or Public Water Supply; False Information; Violation; Penalties.

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Sec. 436.

(1) A person shall not do either of the following:

(a) Willfully mingle a poison or harmful substance with a food, drink, nonprescription medicine, or pharmaceutical product, or willfully place a poison or harmful substance in a spring, well, reservoir, or public water supply, knowing or having reason to know that the food, drink, nonprescription medicine, pharmaceutical product, or water may be ingested or used by a person to his or her injury.

(b) Maliciously inform another person that a poison or harmful substance has been or will be placed in a food, drink, nonprescription medicine, pharmaceutical product, spring, well, reservoir, or public water supply, knowing that the information is false and that it is likely that the information will be disseminated to the public.

(2) A person who violates subsection (1)(a) is guilty of a crime as follows:

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) to (e), the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 15 years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both.

(b) If the violation damages the property of another person, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years or a fine of not more than $15,000.00, or both.

(c) If the violation causes physical injury to another individual, other than serious impairment of a body function, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 25 years or a fine of not more than $20,000.00, or both.

(d) If the violation causes serious impairment of a body function to another individual, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for life or any term of years or a fine of not more than $25,000.00, or both. As used in this subdivision, "serious impairment of a body function" means that term as defined in section 58c of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.58c.

(e) Except as provided in sections 25 and 25a of chapter IX of the code of criminal procedure, 1927 PA 175, MCL 769.25 and 769.25a, if the violation causes the death of another individual, the person is guilty of a felony and shall be imprisoned for life without eligibility for parole and may be fined not more than $40,000.00, or both.

(3) A person who violates subsection (1)(b) is guilty of a crime as follows:

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both.

(b) If the person has previously been convicted of violating subsection (1)(b), the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.

(4) The court may order a term of imprisonment imposed for a violation of this section to be served consecutively to a term of imprisonment imposed for any other violation of law arising out of the same transaction as the violation of this section.

(5) This section does not prohibit an individual from being charged with, convicted of, or punished for any other violation of law that is committed by that individual while violating this section.

History: 1931, Act 328, Eff. Sept. 18, 1931 ;-- CL 1948, 750.436 ;-- Am. 1988, Act 87, Eff. July 1, 1988 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 135, Eff. Apr. 22, 2002 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 23, Imd. Eff. Mar. 4, 2014
Former Law: See section 27 of Ch. 153 of R.S. 1846, being CL 1857, § 5737; CL 1871, § 7536; How., § 9101; CL 1897, § 11496; CL 1915, § 15218; and CL 1929, § 16734.


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