People v. White

With respect to the core issue on this appeal, we hold that a defendant charged with a dangerous drug offense must normally be accorded the right, with appropriate safeguards and under the supervision of the court, to pretrial discovery with respect to the alleged dangerous drug, including the right to make independent tests as to weight and composition.

After a jury trial defendant was convicted of criminal possession of a dangerous drug in the fourth degree (Penal Law, former § 220.15). The contraband, found in defendant’s apartment, was subjected to microscopic and chemical tests by the…