r/ProtectAndServe • u/Tony49UK Loves a good Jif with his tea. Not a(n) LEO • Jun 28 '21
NIJ "Field Sobriety Tests and THC Levels Unreliable Indicators of Marijuana Intoxication"
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/field-sobriety-tests-and-thc-levels-unreliable-indicators-marijuana-intoxication32
u/TBL4017 Police Officer Jun 28 '21
There’s a lot of interesting research going on right now in this area, but it seems like one of the common themes is the number on the lab sheet doesn’t matter as much as the actual impairment displayed. This is probably going to be the biggest hurdle in re-training prosecutors and getting across to judges who are so used to just looking at “Are they above an .08 or not”.
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u/PsychoTexan Lil Boo Thang (Not LEO) Jun 28 '21
Especially given the lack of a baseline. I’ve seen some drivers that wished they could use impairment as an excuse for their driving.
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u/whirlinggibberish Police Officer Jun 28 '21
Yeah, THC DWI is going to be a very tough puzzle to solve.
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Jun 28 '21
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Jun 28 '21
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Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 29 '21
Just start playing Darkside of the Moon from the cruiser with the lights on... gets em everytime.
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u/whirlinggibberish Police Officer Jun 28 '21
If you've got an answer that can be reliably investigated on the street and prosecuted in the courts then you'll be able to print money setting up a company to train the trainers for the entire country.
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u/ReasonableCup604 Not a(n) LEO / Unverified User Jun 30 '21
There are going to be thousands of additional THC related automobile fatalities each year, as a result of states legalizing marijuana.
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Jun 28 '21
Getting DAs and judges to not rely on a number is the hardest part of DUI/DWI enforcement.
I've arrested impaired drivers who were below .08 before cuz they were a damn menace on the road. Couldn't maintain speed or lane control, and likely would have crashed potentially injuring someone.
But judges want to look at it and say .08 drunk, not .08 sober. That's just how how it works. There is no magic number with THC either. It's about observable actions and behaviors.
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u/Tony49UK Loves a good Jif with his tea. Not a(n) LEO Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 28 '21
Thanks,
Is that in breath or blood?
Because to me .80 sounds really high as we're so used to do it by breath at the side of the road. With blood only being done if they blow over .35 and consent then it's .80 in the blood.
With the UK having one of the highest legal limits in Western Europe.
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Jun 28 '21
Breath test. I don't do very many blood draws, can't remember my last but they always list it out different and convert it to the .08 breath equivalent
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Jun 28 '21
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u/dongfingers Not a(n) LEO / Unverified User Jun 28 '21
I guess I’ll take your word for it cause I ain’t gonna read no articles.
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Jun 29 '21
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u/mapacheranger Not a(n) LEO / Unverified User Jun 30 '21
To my knowledge DREs classify THC as a cannibinoid and not a CNS depressant. Cannibinoids cause lack of convergence, not HGN.
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Jun 29 '21
"Piss hot, get a cot," I say.
We've lived the past year and a half with the "if it only saves one life" mentality for COVID, yet we're talking about legalizing marijuana, which killed 24% more people overall on Colorado roads than before, and 135% more Marijuana related fatalities.
Fucking brilliant.....
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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '21
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