Lawmakers’ attempts to tighten drug laws could saddle crime labs with an unsustainable workload

Angelica Noyola, a forensic analyst, prepares a tray of pills, which likely contain oxycodone, for a chemical spot test in the seized drugs lab in Houston on March 29, 2023. (Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune)

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HOUSTON — The pace at the Houston Forensic Science Center is brisk. Dozens of boxes stuffed with drugs seized by police are stacked on tables and nearby shelves. Lab employees quickly rush back and forth between vials, microscopes and computers working to uncover the secrets behind each unidentified item placed before them.