Widening scandal at state drug lab in Mass. exposes opportunities for reform (MA)Read More
Drug Analysis
What’s In a (Trade) Name?
Today, the court of appeals reversed a defendant’s drug convictions because the indictments identified the controlled substances in question using terms that are widely used to describe the drugs, but that are neither the chemical names listed in the controlled substance schedules nor – according to the court – “trade names” for the drugs. Because …
State chemist may have affected more drug cases than previously known (MA)
False Positives in Drug Field Testing Kits
The director of a lab recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for forensic science excellence has called field drug testing kits “totally useless” due to the possibility of false positives. In laboratory experiments, at least two brands of field testing kits have been shown to produce false positives in tests of Mucinex, …
Field Drug Tests Confuse Candy for Meth, Cause Serious Concern
ABC News Investigation Into Counterfeit Prescription Drug Operations in the US
Scientists: Experiments show “dangerous” field drug test problems
Drugs Found in Fingerprints Using Imaging Mass Spectrometry
Jolly Ranchers, Sage and Breath Mints
Chemist Working to Improve Forensic Drug and Poison Screening
WPDCL Forensic Alcohol Training Checklist
WPDCL Forensic Alcohol Analysis Training Sign Off Sheet
WPDCL Forensic Alcohol SOP
WPDCL Forensic Alcohol Analysis Standard Operating Procedure
Admissibility of field test kit results
In State v. Carter, 237 N.C. App. 274 (2014) the NC Court of Appeals found that a trial court abused its discretion by admitting an officer’s testimony that narcotics indicator field test kits indicated the presence of cocaine on various items. The court cited State v. Ward, 364 N.C. 133, 142 (2010) which held that “expert witness testimony required …