January 4, 2021 4:58PM # Drug Lab Misconduct By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) and Erin Partin --- SHARE [In 2013](https://www.yahoo.com/news/chemist-mass-lab-scandal-could-see-charges-065818281.html), authorities arrested a chemist at a Massachusetts state drug lab for stealing drug samples, falsifying test results, and tampering with evidence. After a multi-year investigation, more than 35,000 drug convictions were dismissed and the state was forced to spend over $30 million in restitution and investigation costs. Now, state officials believe [another employee](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/17/metro/state-drug-lab-scandal-once-thought-be-over-getting-another-look/?et_rid=675963187&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter) may have similarly tainted evidence. Massachusetts is not the only state where misconduct by drug lab employees has occurred. Both [Montana](https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/montana-crime-lab-tech-suspected-of-stealing-pills-for-months/article_330f43f3-11d4-5056-b6c2-5e1f99422d0e.html) and [California](https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SFPD-drug-test-technician-accused-of-skimming-3270657.php) have documented cases of similar behavior. This misconduct has a direct impact on thousands of drug cases, not to mention the financial backlash to the state. Yet this is a problem that doesn’t need to exist. Ending drug prohibition would eliminate the need for such labs, making it impossible for such misconduct and the associated costs to arise. ##### Related Tags [Drug War](https://www.cato.org/drug-war), [Criminal Justice](https://www.cato.org/criminal-justice) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).