I have a case in which the officer arrested Defendant for Possession of a Dangerous Drug because he had some Lorcet.

In looking into this further, I have discovered that Lorcet is a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Therefore, I was thinking that Lorcet may be a controlled substance in Penalty Group 1 or 3, depending on the amount of hydrocodone, what it's mixed with, etc.

Has anyone researched this before and come to a conclusion as to whether Lorcet is a dangerous drug, PG3 controlled substance, or PG1 controlled substance? I'd rather not go back to Chemistry 101 if I don't have to.

By that same token...does anyone know of any publications or guides that have this kind of information in them? My law enforcement officers and I desperately need a cheat sheet.

Thanks for the help.

[This message was edited by Misti Spacek on 03-23-06 at .]

Depends on the concentration of hydrocodone. Look at penalty group 3, 481.104 (4) paragraphs 3,4,and 5. Then call your lab tech. I have always simply called the DPS lab that tested the pills and asked about the milligarms per dosage.

Basically,

"not more than ... 15 milligrams per dosage unit, with one or more active nonnarcotic ingredients in recognized therapeutic amounts"

You've got Hydrocodone and asprin. So, what's the milligram per tablet? Are they in the little orange bottle? I bet that's on the side. Always double check with the lab tech because defendants don't keep their pills in the correct bottle most of the time.

Then, how many pills determines your level of charge through 481.117

If I'm wrong, someone correct me.