WASHINGTON (SOA) — Nearly half of all U.S. states (24) have now legalized the recreational use of marijuana. When you add in legalization for medical use that number jumps to 75%. But while it seems like pot is more popular than ever, there could be unintended consequences for road safety. Spotlight on America correspondent Angie Moreschi investigates whether legalizing marijuana is leading to more dangerous driving.
Detecting Marijuana Impairment
Field sobriety tests for alcohol impairment often show suspects having difficulty walking a straight line. When it comes to marijuana impairment, detection can be more subtle, but law enforcement says, not to be ignored.
Cornelius says drivers suspected of marijuana impairment often falsely believe cannabis doesn’t impact driving.
“I smoke it, but I’m okay to drive. That’s a perception that we hear all the time,” Cornelius told Spotlight on America about that misconception. “You get behind the wheel of a car and you could have the exact same disastrous effects that you would have from alcohol.”
Studies show moderate increase in crashes
An analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of 26 studies found on average a 5.8% increase in injury crashes and a 4.1% increase in fatal crashes in states, after the legalization of recreational marijuana and subsequent onset of retail sales.
That’s led to a growing need for Drug Recognition Experts trained to detect signs of marijuana impairment on the roads, like Lieutenant Mark Eastty with the Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Eastty took Spotlight correspondent Angie Moreschi on a ride along to show what DREs look for as signs of marijuana impairment.
“Believe it or not, it’s going to be speeding, weaving within their lane, running stop signs, running red lights, or you have people that are stopped at a green light and not going anywhere,” Eastty said, explaining the behavior he looks for when it comes to marijuana impairment.
He says “believe it or not,” because some think cannabis users drive more carefully when they’re high, because of the perceived mellowing effects of the drug. Eastty, however, says that’s not the reality he’s witnessed on the road.
“The four years I spent in our DUI unit, plus, I was on our traffic homicide unit, as well. I’ve seen the end result of marijuana-impaired driving,” Eastty said. “We’ve worked fatal crashes. We’ve worked serious bodily injury crashes with people impaired by marijuana.”
Studies show marijuana impairs driving by:
slowing reaction timeaffecting ability to pay attentionimpacting memory
And for drivers who combine both alcohol and marijuana, studies show impairment is even worse.
Harder to Prove
Marijuana impairment can be harder to prove than alcohol impairment, where you can use a legally accepted breathalyzer test.
A urine sample helps, but doesn’t prove recent cannabis use; and getting a blood sample, which is a better indicator of recent use, often requires a warrant.
So, DREs are trained to use a 12-step process to evaluate for signs of marijuana impairment.
“We take their blood pressure, their pulse rate, we check their eyes,” explained Lt. Eastty.
Physiological responses, like lower blood pressure and eye tremors, are indicators of cannabis use that cannot be controlled. So, documenting them is key to making a case that holds up in court.
Cornelius says recording the evidence of marijuana impairment is not as easy as giving a breathalyzer test and having a suspect blow .08 or higher.
“It would be nice if it was, but no, it’s not. Someone has to be able to tie the impairment that they saw to the actual result. Our drug recognition experts are trained to go out and do an evaluation with the suspected impaired person, especially if it’s not solely alcohol or not alcohol at all, and then they can determine what drug category that person’s impaired by,” Cornelius said.
If a case makes it to trial, DREs are called in to testify as expert witnesses.
Growth of Recreational Marijuana Use
Florida legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2017, but citizens narrowly defeated a measure to legalize recreational use in the November election. Nearly 56% of state residents voted in favor, but 60% was needed for it to pass.
Cornelius says he was surprised it didn’t pass.
Even without legalized recreational use, he says marijuana impairment is already proving to be a problem on Florida roads. He points to state data that shows marijuana impairment is found in about 40% of cases in Florida, when drug evaluations are conducted.
His biggest concern about the growing use of marijuana nationwide is that there will inevitably be more impaired people on the roads.
“If you’re going to use it, use it. Just do not drive. Do not get behind the wheel.” Cornelius urged anyone who uses marijuana.
Nearly half of all U.S. states (24) have now legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Read More
