The U.S. Supreme Court case Burrage v. United States (2013) revolved around the interpretation of a federal law that imposes a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence if drug distribution "results in death." The defendant, Marcus Andrew Burrage, sold heroin to Joshua Banka who later died from an overdose. However, it was found that other drugs were also present in his system at the time of death and it could not be definitively proven that the heroin alone caused his demise. The question before the court was whether this law required proof that heroin was the sole cause of death or merely contributed to it. In its decision, led by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Burrage stating that under this specific statute for a dealer to receive enhanced penalties due to drug-related deaths or serious bodily injury; prosecutors must prove beyond reasonable doubt that use of their distributed substance is what specifically caused harm - not just contributing factor among others.

In the Supreme Court case of Burrage v. United States, there was no dissenting opinion recorded. The court unanimously ruled in favor of Marcus Andrew Burrage, reversing his conviction for distribution of heroin resulting in death under the Controlled Substances Act. The court held that to convict a defendant on such charges, it must be proven beyond reasonable doubt that drug use directly resulted in death and not just contributed to an overall condition leading to death.