Crj 311 Narcotic Drugs Paper

Narcotic drugs CRJ 311 December 13, 2010

Introduction: In this paper I will discuss the details the classification of narcotic drugs in criminal law, forensic evidence needed to obtain a conviction in a drug case. The term narcotic implies a state of lethargy or sluggishness. Pharmacologists classify narcotic drugs as substance that bring relief from pain and produce sleep. Unfortunately narcotic has come to be popularly associated with any drugs that is socially unacceptable, as a consequence of this incorrect
Every time a change of hands occurs, it must be documented to ensure that the evidence was not tampered with or handled negligently. The process that evidence goes through from the time it is seized to the time it reaches the courtroom is called the “chain of custody. Implementing chain of custody is necessary it’s the start of the foundation of the evidence in question, by showing the absence of alteration, substitution, or change of condition. Specifically, foundation testimony for tangible evidence requires that exhibits be identified as being in substantially the same condition as they were at the time the evidence was seized, and that the exhibit has remained in that condition through an unbroken chain of custody. For example, suppose that in a prosecution for possession of illegal narcotics, police sergeant A recovers drugs from the defendant; A gives police officer B the drugs; B then gives the drugs to police scientist C, who conducts an analysis of the drugs; C gives the drugs to police detective D, who brings the drugs to court. The testimony of A, B, C, and D constitute a "chain of custody" for the drugs, and the prosecution would need to offer testimony by each person in the chain to establish both the condition and identification of the evidence, unless the defendant stipulated as to the chain of custody in order to save