California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Din, E042483 (Cal. App. 5/12/2008), E042483 (Cal. App. 2008):
"Ordinarily the narcotic character of a substance is proved by a trained expert who has made a chemical analysis thereof." (People v. Galfund (1968) 267 Cal.App.2d 317, 320.) In this case, such a chemical analysis was, in fact, performed; it simply was not performed on all of the suspected methamphetamine. Nevertheless, "the nature of a substance . . . may be proved . . . by evidence that the substance was a part of a larger quantity which was chemically analyzed [citations] . . . ." (People v. Sonleitner (1986) 183 Cal.App.3d 364, 369.)
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.