Drug Recognition Evaluators Use Junk Science to Prove Impairment
Minnesota has a plan to blow a whopping $2.7 million on roadside marijuana testing and another $15 million on so-called Drug Recognition Experts (DREs).
Sound like a good idea? Not quite.
Imagine this: You're driving home after hanging out with friends. You'd had a couple of pot gummies a few days ago, but you're sober now.
Suddenly, you see the flashing lights in your rearview mirror due to having expired tabs.
You're pulled over. An officer swabs your mouth for a "roadside test."
Guess what? You test positive for THC (the psychoactive chemical in marijuana). But here's the kicker: THC stays in your oral fluid for up to 72 hours after consumption.
Are you impaired? No. Are you going to be arrested? Yep.
This isn't a scene from a dystopian novel. It's what our legislators have cooked up. It makes you wonder what they’ve been smoking.
The truth is, there's no foolproof way to measure THC impairment. Not with a swab. Not with a blood/urine test.
I spoke with KSTP News about this just last week; check out the interview below:
Click the image above to watch my interview with KSTP about the problems with using pseudscientific tests to determine impairment for marijuana.
So, what's the solution?
Good ol' fashioned police work.
Observe erratic driving. Pullover unsafe drivers. Use dash cams for evidence. Ask the driver if they feel impaired.
Simple, right? But legislators want to believe they can do more. They want to feel like they are doing SOMETHING.
The state would rather pump millions into bogus testing than focus on actual dangerous driving.
If you've been victimized by this pseudoscientific testing, call Ramsay Law. We know the science, and we know the law.
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