P. v. Bolen
Law enforcement officers found suspected methamphetamine and approximately six “white oval shaped pills†in a car appellant Joshua Eugene Bolen was driving. The People charged him with various crimes, including possession of methadone (Health & Saf. Code, § 11350). At trial — and over appellant’s objection — the court permitted a Walgreen’s pharmacist to testify the pills were methadone. The pharmacist testified he entered the imprint on the pills into a program used by Walgreen’s called “facts and comparisons†and the program generated the chemical composition of the pills: methadone. The pharmacist also testified the picture of the methadone pills in the program was identical to the pills found by law enforcement officers. A jury convicted appellant of various crimes, including possession of methadone, and sentenced him to state prison.
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