Forensic Toxicology Blog
Evidence-based articles about toxicology, expert testimony, legal developments, alcohol, drugs, and forensic testing.
In-Custody Deaths, Toxicology, and the End of Excited Delirium in California
California bars excited delirium as a diagnosis and civil evidence. Learn what AB 360 means for in-custody death toxicology and section 1983 causation.
Vehicle Code Section 21221: What Actually Applies to a Motorized Scooter Rider
California Vehicle Code section 21221 applies driver rules to scooter riders, while section 21221.5 creates a separate $250 under-the-influence offense.
An E-Bike Is Not a Motor Vehicle: Beale v. DMV Bars Refusal Suspensions
Beale v. DMV held that California cannot suspend a driver’s license for chemical-test refusal arising from an electric-bicycle ride. Analysis of the ruling, controlling statutes, limits, and defense strategy.
Concentration Is Not Impairment: THC Blood Levels in California Driving Cases
California has no per se THC limit, and the pharmacology explains why. Blood THC falls fastest when effect is still rising, and frequent users carry measurable levels long after any effect.
“They Are Not Tests of Driving” — What the Field Sobriety Tests Actually Measure
The woman who built the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests testified under oath that they do not measure driving. A forensic toxicology review of the science behind HGN, the Walk-and-Turn, and the One-Leg Stand.
California Dual Employment: Working for a Competitor
California generally voids employee noncompete agreements, but that does not necessarily prevent an at-will employer from terminating a worker who simultaneously works for a competitor. The result depends on duties of loyalty, trade-secret conduct, contract terms and other statutory protections.
The Okorocha Mid-Year Street Drug Report of 2026
No credible dataset measures the quantity of illicit drugs actually sold in the United States at the state or national level. Seizures reflect enforcement activity, forensic identifications reflect laboratory submissions, and the only defensible national market-size estimate covers 2006–2016. The…
Medetomidine in the Fentanyl Supply: Risks and Testing
Short answer: Medetomidine is a veterinary sedative now appearing in parts of the illegal fentanyl supply. It can deepen sedation, slow the heart, lower blood pressure, complicate overdose care, and cause a severe withdrawal syndrome. It is not approved for human use. Reviewed and updated July 24, 2026. What is…
Kratom and 7-OH in 2026: Evidence, Risks and Regulation
Short answer: Kratom is a plant whose main alkaloid, mitragynine, acts on several biological systems, including opioid receptors. No kratom product is FDA-approved to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a disease. Concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine products can present different and potentially greater risks than traditional leaf preparations. Reviewed and updated July 24,…
L.A. County District Attorney Ethics: Commentary and Sources
I have practiced in the Los Angeles County legal community for more than 23 years. During that time, I have appeared opposite hundreds of deputy district attorneys and, despite vigorous disagreements in court, I have never publicly criticized or complained about a prosecutor. That changed with this…
Ed Barley’s Alleged No-Shows Leave L.A. County Defenders Scrambling
Public defenders have repeatedly contacted the author after Ed Barley allegedly failed to appear for court-authorized expert work, leaving defense teams scrambling despite county-paid appointments. This post argues that the pattern makes Barley unreliable.
Acetaldehyde in Blood-Alcohol Testing: What It Means
Short answer: Acetaldehyde can be detected in blood specimens, especially when decomposition, storage, or analytical conditions are relevant. Its presence does not by itself prove that ethanol formed after death, that a blood-alcohol result is false, or that fermentation occurred. Reviewed and updated July 24, 2026. What is acetaldehyde? Acetaldehyde…
