The police get people high as part of the “Stoned Driving” training

Driving stoned.

It has become one of the most vexing law enforcement challenges in the age of legalization, as police officers across the country struggle to reconcile their jurisdiction’s new cannabis laws with their job of keeping the streets safe.

The Washington Post detailed how a Maryland police department, where voters passed a measure last year to legalize recreational cannabis, is preparing for a possible surge in disabled drivers on its streets.

According to the Washington Post, the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department holds a convention two to three times a year.

“Montgomery County brings in marijuana smokers — literally picks them up in police cars — and leads them to the tent in front of the training academy to get stoned. Bags of Cheetos, bottles of water and lots of pizza are on the house,” the report said. “The participants are then used as test subjects for officers trying to determine if someone is too high to ride. That is not easy. Unlike people who drive drunk, whose impairment can be quantified by breathalyzers and blood alcohol tests, weed is more difficult to detect.”

According to the Post, the drill is “increasingly being conducted at police departments across the country.”

As states and cities moved to reform their existing cannabis laws and end cannabis prohibition, law enforcement in those jurisdictions often had to catch up.

In Virginia, which became the first state in the southern United States to legalize recreational cannabis in 2021, officials last year began reviewing ways to crack down on driving while stoned.

“Virginia officials said the ‘oral fluid tests’ being considered for detecting marijuana poisoning are similar to a ‘preliminary breath test’ — a roadside breathalyzer test. The test results, while not admissible in a court of law, can help determine when the cannabis was consumed and can be combined with other factors to find a probable cause for extensive blood testing,” the Virginian pilot reported in December.

The newspaper also said officials are considering “amending state law to allow roadside screening devices where officials and deputies can have a driver swab their cheeks to collect saliva and test for marijuana and other drugs.” .

In New York, which legalized recreational cannabis for adults in 2021, officials reportedly “ran” last fall as they raced to develop a mechanism to determine whether or not someone is too stoned to drive.

“Identifying drivers impaired by cannabis use is critical… However, unlike alcohol, there are currently no evidence-based methods to identify cannabis-impaired driving,” said a memo from the New York governor’s office Kathy Hochul.

The stoned driving sims in Montgomery County, Maryland could be the latest effort yet.

The Washington Post story provided an account of a “recent meeting held on a Thursday evening in January, [that] lasted almost four hours.”

“Participants participated in a 30-minute ‘consumption session’ followed by impairment assessments within the building and repeated the cycle. During the second consumption session, officials asked if volunteers wanted to add alcohol to the mix.

“Who wants a Bud Light?” asked Lt. John O’Brien, leaning over a cooler. Then he grabbed a large bottle of liquor: “Captain Morgan?” … None of the subjects drove home. They return via the bulls that brought them. All have medical cards and are reimbursed for the product they are taking.”

The Post said that “Montgomery is at the forefront of the cannabis laboratory program, also known as Green Labs, which experts say is operating in nearly 10 states.”