Gov. Charlie Baker, frustrated by lawmakers’ inaction more than five years after the legalization of recreational pot, is making a second attempt to cut down on stoned driving.
Authorities say they have arrested a man on suspicion of driving while high on pot after he crashed into a Happy Valley marijuana dispensary.
Growing acceptance of medical marijuana and an initiative to legalize recreational pot use in California are stoking a debate over how to keep stoned drivers off the roads.
Colorado’s police chiefs are gathering to talk about legal weed, everything from pot and highway safety to the dangers of home hash production.
ABC News correspondent Clayton Sandell shadowed a Colorado State Patrol officer and was on hand to record what happened when one sandal-wearing, Mustang-driving motorist was put through the paces by CSP Cpl. Roger Meyers, a specially trained drug recognition expert.
As states liberalize their marijuana laws, public officials and safety advocates worry that more drivers high on pot will lead to a big increase in traffic deaths. Researchers, though, are divided on the question.
Since Colorado voters legalized pot in 2012, prohibition supporters have warned that recreational marijuana will lead to a scourge of “drugged drivers” on the state’s roads.
At a U.S. House hearing Thursday, lawmakers and witnesses debated the overall danger posed by stoned drivers, as well as potential methods that law enforcement officials could use to test for impairment.
CDOT’s new “Drive High, Get a DUI” campaign debuts. Also on Thursday, the Colorado State Patrol graduated 20 new Drug Recognition Experts, who are trained to spot and test someone suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
Colorado State Patrol officers cited 60 people in January for driving offenses in which marijuana was believed to be involved. Colorado law officers are receiving more training so they will be able to spot drivers who are high and to differentiate them from alcohol-impaired drivers.
There is currently no comprehensive way to track instances of marijuana-impaired driving in Colorado. Such cases are charged in court under the same law as alcohol-impaired driving cases, meaning the two can’t be separated in judicial data.
Efforts are expanding to keep those who overindulge on weed from getting behind the wheel — and punishing those who do.
While alcohol-related DUIs remain far more common, this past week a case involving a motorist prosecutors say was solely under the influence of marijuana provided a stark example of the danger of driving while stoned.
A California assemblyman just introduced a bill that would let law enforcement officers take a spit swab from drivers who’ve failed field sobriety tests.
Stoned driving legislation has been a steady companion of sports betting bills on the Massachusetts Legislature’s back burner, where the flame is barely lit.
As the push to legalize marijuana gains momentum, so is evidence that more permissive policies on the drug are putting motorists at risk.
Promoting cannabis as a safer alternative to alcohol was a tenet of the marijuana legalization movements in Colorado and other states. Early data indicate that attitude continues when people get behind the wheel.
Massachusetts officials promised a crackdown Thursday on marijuana-impaired driving as the state prepares for full implementation of the voter-approved law legalizing adult use of recreational cannabis.
According to AAA research, millennials are more likely than teens or any other age group to drive while high, and engage in other unsafe practices.
The proposed Senate Bill 65 would make it an infraction for anyone to smoke or consume marijuana in any form while driving a vehicle or piloting a boat or plane, consistent with the law on alcohol.
A billboard resembling a cross between a giant joint and a mangled car in downtown Denver is part of a statewide effort against smoking marijuana and driving.
When psych-pop artist Dent May sings “I’ll be stoned for Christmas … this year,” there is an undeniable hint of shared melody between the singer’s new holiday song and the classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” But that’s where the similarities end.
The legalization of recreational marijuana in two states — Colorado and Washington — and medical marijuana in more than 20 others has raised concern that there will be more drivers stoned behind the wheel. What’s not clear is whether that will translate into an increase in fatal crashes.
In January, Keith Kilbey crashed his car into a couple of police cars north of Denver. They were blocking the entrance to a highway exit ramp, and their lights were flashing at the time Kilbey hit them. Shortly after the accident, a Colorado State Patrol spokesman said that Kilbey was high on pot and that he had been charged with driving under the influence of drugs. “This time we were fortunate,” warned a corporal, “but many officers across the nation are not so lucky.”
