New York is trying to develop cannabis DUI tests

As New York races to open its new legal recreational marijuana market, “the state is apparently struggling to “develop a way to measure when drivers are driving while under the influence of cannabis, as there is no current standard or valid testing are”.

That’s according to a report in the New York Post on Sunday, which said Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has issued a call for a mechanism to detect weed-impaired drivers.

“With the legalization of cannabis for adults, there are concerns about increased cases of disabled driving after cannabis use,” the New York City Department of Health and Human Services said in a proposal, as quoted by the Post.

“Identifying drivers impaired by cannabis use is critical… However, unlike alcohol, there are currently no evidence-based methods to detect cannabis-impaired driving,” the memo continued.

The news comes amid burgeoning anticipation of the launch of New York’s first regulated adult-use marijuana retailers. According to the Post, New York is expected to issue “up to 175 retail licenses to sell marijuana in the coming weeks.”

Hochul said last week that the state remains on track to introduce the new regulated cannabis market by the end of this year.

“We expect the first 20 pharmacies to open by the end of this year,” Hochul told the editorial board of Advance Media New York. “And then about 20 more every month. So we’re not just going to throw it out like that. It will work and be successful.”

The state began accepting applications for adult pharmacy licenses on August 25, with the deadline ending on September 26. New York officials said about 500 applications were submitted, while hundreds of applicants were rejected for not being eligible.

The first dispensary licenses will be for people previously convicted of a marijuana-related offense.

“New York State is making history by introducing a unique approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past,” Hochul said in her policy announcement in March. “The regulations presented today by the Cannabis Control Board will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs and create jobs and opportunities for communities that have been left out and left behind. I am proud that New York will be a national model for the safe, just and inclusive industry we are now building.”

Hochul’s predecessor, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, legalized recreational cannabis in the state when he signed into law in March 2021. The measure immediately ended the state’s possession ban, but the regulated cannabis market was slow to gain ground under Cuomo, who resigned as governor last August amid sexual misconduct allegations.

After her acquisition, Hochul made it a priority to get the program up and running, which she announced in her interview with the editors last week.

“Talk about the rollout being blocked. When I became governor, nothing happened. Nothing. It was closed because there was a battle between the administration and the legislature over who would be the executive director and the chairs of the cannabis review boards,” she said. “So I got a lot of credit for naming people in a week. I got things going. So when I talk to people about being part of this industry, the first thing they say is thank you. Because otherwise we could still wait and wait and wait, even for the most basic steps. So we made quick progress.”