MARIJUANA, MUSHROOMS,

PEYOTE OR OPIUM POPPIES

 Also see Policy E-8-10, Medical Marijuana

Live plant material and other damp or wet evidence shall be dried prior to submission.  This includes marijuana, mushrooms, peyote, or opium poppies.  Fresh plant material, when packaged in airtight containers such as plastic bags, decays rapidly, produces mold and can inhibit or possibly eliminate the chance for detecting a controlled substance, as well as impose health hazards.

 

IMPOUNDING OFFICER PROCEDURES

  1. Place wet marijuana plants into a large dry locker.  (A or B).  The quantity of plants entered into evidence must be in compliance with Policy E-9-2-0795, Evidence Seizure of Marijuana.  If special circumstances exist where it is necessary to seize more than the specified amount, contact the Forensics Sergeant about hanging and storage.

  2. If you are uprooting a mature plant, cut the root ball off.  If you are uprooting a starter plant, shake the soil from the roots but keep roots intact to show it was a viable plant.

  3. Do not package wet marijuana.  Lay it out, or hang it up to dry in an evidence locker or the drying room along with the tagged packaging. 
    An evidence officer will notify the impounding officer when the drug is fully dried and ready to be packaged.

  4. Once dry, the impounding officer or their designee must complete the packaging process for submission.  (Evidence Officers will not package evidence.)

  5. Package all dry marijuana in a clear plastic bag with a write-on area.  Complete the write-on area of the bag and include the weight of the drug.  Note whether the weights reported are net (without packaging) or gross (with packaging).

  6. Separate paraphernalia from the marijuana.  DO NOT package together.

  7. DO NOT SUBMIT FIELD TEST KITS.  These kits contain concentrated acids that can leak, creating a chemical hazard.  Document results and destroy all used test kits.

  8. Seal the packaging with a heat sealer if appropriate packaging is plastic, or with red evidence tape if the appropriate packaging is paper.   Date and initial the seal.  BE SURE that the seal is securely sealed.  Before removing item from the heat sealer, wait for the red light to click off.

  9. Drug packaging that needs processing for latent fingerprints shall be separated from the drugs.  The evidence for latent fingerprint processing is then submitted separately from the drugs.  If drugs were weighed in their original packaging, be sure to weigh the drugs again.

  10. Weigh the narcotics.  All weights must be submitted as gross, i.e., total weight of the substance and the packaging as being submitted to Property Evidence.  Attach the scale receipt to the yellow copy of the property receipt, or note the weight on the receipt.

  11. Complete the Forensic Services Request.  Advise the lab if any items being submitted were recovered from a body cavity, packaged in the genital area or may be contaminated with biological hazards.  Contaminated evidence should be marked with a bio hazard warning. Place into property-evidence basket in Evidence Processing Room.

  12. Complete the property-evidence report.

  13. Place the packaged dry marijuana in an evidence locker.  Note the location of the marijuana on the property-evidence report. If the marijuana is drying, note the location on the property-evidence report.

  14. Place the yellow and green copy of the property-evidence report into the property-evidence basket in the Evidence Processing Room.

 

EVIDENCE OFFICER PROCEDURES

STORAGE

  1. Ensure proper packaging; refer to example board in the evidence processing areas.

  2. Place one barcode on the item and the corresponding barcode on the property receipt.

  3. Place the item in a location best suited to the size of the item within the secure room.  See the evidence room guide.

  4. Using the barcode reader, scan the location of the shelf and then scan the barcode that is affixed to the item.

  5. Place the item in numerical order by case number.

  6. Each time a drug is checked in or out, it must be weighed with the weight recorded on the Narcotics Weight Tracking Form attached to the evidence receipt.

 

DISPOSAL

  1. Upon authorization or disposition of the case, see “Destruction of Narcotics." 

 

 

Revised 11/05/03