State of New Jersey, Appellant v. Paul Dicarlo, Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and reinstated the defendant’s conviction for operating a vehicle while under the influence of a narcotic drug. The Court held that the definition of “narcotic drug” in the Controlled Dangerous Substances Act does not control the meaning of the term in the motor‑vehicle statute because the statutes are not in pari materia, and that the evidence was sufficient to find methaqualone a narcotic under its plain meaning. Justice Pashman, in a concurring opinion, agreed with the result but reached the conclusion that methaqualone is covered by the statute through a different interpretive approach.