California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Daniels, 116 Cal.Rptr. 873, 42 Cal.App.3d 483 (Cal. App. 1974):
Actually, the labels 'specific intent' and 'general intent' are of little utility because the meaning of those terms vary with the context in which they are used. (See People v. Hood, 1 Cal.3d 444, 456, 82 Cal.Rptr. 618, 462 P.2d 370; People v. Rocha, 3 Cal.3d 893, 897, 92 Cal.Rptr. 172, 479 P.2d 372.) If we must characterize the crime of selling a restricted dangerous drug as one or the other, we are compelled to the conclusion that it is a general intent crime. 'When the definition of a crime consists of only the description of a particular act, without reference to intent to do a further act or achieve a future consequence, we ask whether the defendant intended to do the proscribed act. This intention is deemed to be a general criminal intent. When the definition refers to defendant's intent to do some further act or achieve some additional consequence, the crime is deemed to be one of specific intent.'
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