Norman v. State

BERGER, Justice.

In this appeal, we consider, among other issues, whether police officers may identify marijuana without being qualified as expert witnesses. Appellant was convicted of murder and other offenses relating to a drug deal that went bad. At trial, police officers testified, as “lay” witnesses, that the substance found on appellant was marijuana. We hold that police officers must be qualified as experts before identifying a controlled substance. The error, however, was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and appellant’s other arguments lack merit. Accordingly, we affirm the…