Bill to legalize pot also funds ways to measure whether drivers are high

Minnesota. Come August, we wille the 23rd state to legalize the . But before that happens, there are a lot of things that need to be worked out, like how will police find and tt people they suspect are driving high? Jennifer Hoff looked into it tonight for us and she has more Jennifer ready. The bottom line is there is no accurate way to measure whether drivers are high, but there are millions of dollan the pot bill dedicated to at let two ways to try. Starting this weekend through Labor Day, data shows it's the deadliest time on Minnesota roads. And the state's safety council president absolutely says this year it's going to get a lot har to keep you safe. There's no question. I mean, we're adding another legal substance to the list than impair you. When the governor ss recreational marijuana into law, there'll be no clear way to tell when a driver is too drugged to drive, in part because THC dissolves in fat and alcohol in water. Meaning the two are absorbed vey differently, rendering the .08 limit to measure booze useless. In the case of cannabis, alcohol and humans works in a way that you can actually find the number doesn't work that way for any other drug. What's trickier is the drug can leave the blood system quickly, levels vary whether you eat or smoke it, and daily users build up so much THC but aren't always h. That's where the everything gets really complicated, because there is a difference between being unsafe and being illegal. Austin points out two ways to try. First, the bill dedicates money to expand oral fluid testing, but that doesn't detect whether someone is impaired, only if the drug is present. And 2nd, a $15 million investmen drug recognition evaluators whok for impairment based on physical tests, but there are just 275 of them thinly spread across the state. The money that's in the bill is designed to train at more Dre, so there are a lot moe available to every police force, which would be helpful. Would be helpful, but there's t. Austin says police departments e severely understaffed right now, so despite getting that funding boost, it would be a challenge to allon officer time away to participate in that DARE training or even hire somebody for it specifical. So obviously still tonight and in the several months ahead her, several kinks that still need to be worked out.

Channel: KARE 11

Views: 3,416

Keywords: Jennifer Hoff, KARE 11, KARE 11 News, driving while high, legal weed, legalizing pot, marijuana, marijuana in minnesota, minnesota news, pot, thc gummies, where is weed legal, legalize marijuana, recreational marijuana, marijuana bill, cannabis bill, kare 11 news live

Id: DgITSf1Fpmk

Length: 2min 24sec (144 seconds)

Published: Wed May 24 2023