WASHINGTON — As more states decriminalize marijuana, Maryland State Police are seeing a large jump in the number of weed-related impaired driving crashes and violations.
“We have marijuana seizures, I feel like, on a daily basis,” said trooper Samuel Jackson, in an interview with NBC Washington.
“With marijuana we’re looking for bloodshot red, glassy eyes, dilated pupils, drooping eyelids, slow exaggerated movements.”
The number of vehicle crashes investigated by state police that were linked to marijuana nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018, and the number of violations related to pot jumped nearly 40-percent.
Virginia and D.C. don’t keep data that distinguishes whether drivers were impaired by marijuana or alcohol, but D.C. police records show a nearly 10 percent increase in impaired driving arrests between 2017 and 2018.
The NBC report included information from Colorado, where marijuana was decriminalized in 2013.
“We saw about a 74 percent increase in fatal crashes, between 2013 and now,” said Aurora, Colorado police officer Kevin Deichsel. “And marijuana has been a part of that.”
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32 comments:
Well , Dugh , Thank Your Govt for allowing it in the First
place
Still against Federal Law , yet States Disobey the Higher Law
and do as they please, without any consequences !!! Dugh
Just wait until (soon) all states allow it Recreationally , &
cocaine & the rest are next . What a screwed up country
this will be then .....Hell it is bad enough Now !!!!
As long as they can TAX it .....Anything goes !!! Fact
Gee, who could have seen that coming?
But weed for all will generate tax dollars according to dopers and Democrat politicians.
Best wishes in avoiding injury at the hands of the stoners.
What do you mean, man!? Just chill. I was driving fine and eating my taco bell burrito just fine, dude.
All who were put in jail & prison should now Sue the hell out
of the Govt for locking them up over WEED !!!
Now that the gov't hipocrits condone it and are allowing
sales of it Just to get their Cut (tax $$$$) !!!!
The New dope dealers in America > State Govt's
Against Federal Law !!!! Why not Charge & Lock up the
State officials Who allow it ??? Double standard !! People
But Maryland was in favor of Marijuana and the stores selling it revenue is all they care about. It causes more people to smoke it and more of it to the users who already used it when it was illegal. Dumb Maryland and Dump Hogan.
Liberals are not looking out for you.
why drink and drive,when you can smoke and fly! lol
Someone can smoke the weed on a weekend, have an accident the following Thursday and test positive, but be no where near under the influence.
As long as it was medical weed , show your prescription to
the officer who stops you , and he has to let you go !!! LOL
The statistics are skewed, traces of thc can be detected up to 30 days after use
9:45, Uh, What!? If anything goes as long as they can tax it, weed would have never been illegal. FACT! Where are you getting your facts from? States have the right to "disobey the higher law." I assume you mean the federal gov't, and not the constitution. Hence this abortion nonsense. So, that argument is nullified, as well. Alcohol is many times worse than weed, and not just the health aspects. You sound pretty ignorant on the whole situation.
10:04-Meanwhile, have a drink on me, Drunk driver.
Do insurance companies pay out for repairs if the driver is toasted?
Medical is the Key Word >> Anything goes as long as it says Medical !!!
Hook the public & tax them to death ......that's the plan !!!
2 term limits will fix alot of things > House /Senate/ Sup Crt
Not true, you can be charged with driving under the influence or driving while impaired with lots of prescription drugs
yes yes yes 1235!
So wrong, 1:50! A prescription does not allow for you to drive with an unsealed script. There is no sense pretending to know something that you have absolutely no idea about! I don't have a script, but I've known that since the get go.
It is not illegal to possess marijuana under federal law however it is illegal to possess marijuana under federal law if you don't have a federal marijuana tax stamp. In order to get the stamp you must first have the marijuana ... catch 22!!
Anonymous said...
As long as it was medical weed , show your prescription to
the officer who stops you , and he has to let you go !!! LOL
February 20, 2019 at 11:00 AM
No he doesn't! That doesn't give you a free pass to smoke dope and drive. You are too stupid to vote, you dumb idiot.
Anonymous said...
So wrong, 1:50! A prescription does not allow for you to drive with an unsealed script. There is no sense pretending to know something that you have absolutely no idea about! I don't have a script, but I've known that since the get go.
February 20, 2019 at 6:08 PM
That is correct.
Cops can't stand that Maryland decriminalized marijuana, and took away their cash cow than allowed them to confiscate property and arrest marijuana users as felons. Nope, just can't stand it. THC highs are short term, and residual amounts in a person's body do not cause impairment. The cops want to circumvent the decriminalization by making all users DUI offenders. I call BS. Alcohol makes one reckless on the highway, while marijuana might make one a little careless. Speed is almost never a factor in marijuana impairment, while it is almost always a factor in alcohol impairment. Their stats and intent are certainly questionable. Whoever trooper Jackson is, he shouldn't be participating in news interviews with his "feel like" stats. And the physical "factors" they use for conducting illegal searches are the same ones that anyone would exhibit it they were simply tired. But that is the police state for you. Stop you for ANY reason with the goal of escalating (yes that's how they are trained) a stop into a search. Its what they do. The goal is ALWAYS to search whoever they stop, for ANY reason. Or for no reason at all, other than your "profile." Maryland has a really bad record on illegal profiling, and has lost more than on Federal case over illegal profiling, yet they continue to do it. The MSP's position is, the hell with the US constitution, the ends serve the means. Break the law to enforce the law. Now THAT happens every day.
February 20, 2019 at 6:08 PM
Your retort makes no sense at all. Have you been drinking? Under the influence of Prescription drugs was what his comment was about, and he was 100% correct. He said nothing about unsealed scripts, whatever that is. What are you PRETENDING to know? He did not mention anything about driving with the possession of any drugs, just about driving under the INFLUENCE of prescription drugs. And I assume that means legally prescribed drugs the driver is taking. As a professional CDL licensed driver, we must always be aware of the effects of legal prescriptions. We do not get a pass on our impairment if the result of legal, or illegal prescription drugs. Neither do non-commercial drivers. Thank you 1:50 for pointing that out.
February 20, 2019 at 6:08 PM:
Driving around with marijuana, 10 grams or less is a misdemeanor in Maryland, punishable by a fine, even with no prescription. No jail time, no felony, no arrest. Under the influence is a different crime. Yes, a prescription DOES allow you to drive around, legally, with unsealed script, as long as you are not under the influence and have the prescription. Opened prescriptions with you are not the same as driving under the influence. Taking your medically prescribed drugs, not just marijuana, but including marijuana, on a trip is not a crime. Many people must take their pain meds with them, but it does not mean thay can driver under the influence of those drugs, if they cause impairment.
February 20, 2019 at 8:28 PM: If you're agreeing with February 20, 2019 at 6:08 PM:, you're both wrong
6:08 you need to read post again Dick Tracy
Thank you 10:21
Medical cocain / crack / & the rest is Next !!! Medical !!!
Medical Prostitution too , don't forget that one !!!!
Studys show Sex is good for you too & has calming effects
just get a prescription !!!!
2:05- the facts I stated were not in the post. You cannot drive with an open pot prescription. That's what I stated. Nothing in the post contradicts that. Your "insult" makes no sense. Knowing the rules or laws does not make me a fictional Detective. That was a poor attempt at being snarky. Maybe try again after you learn to read.
2:05- the facts I stated were not in the post. You cannot drive with an open pot prescription. That's what I stated. Nothing in the post contradicts that. Your "insult" makes no sense. Knowing the rules or laws does not make me a fictional Detective. That was a poor attempt at being snarky. Maybe try again after you learn to read. I meant to address 11:00.
February 21, 2019 at 6:29 PM:
Again, you are incorrect. The law in Maryland states that the possession of 10 grams or less is a misdemeanor. Having 10 grams or less in your possession, at home, in a car, on your person, whatever, is not going to land you in jail. Under the influence and possession are two totally different topics. One CAN certainly drive with 10 grams or less in the car with or without a prescription, just not under the influence/impaired by that prescription, pot or any other legally prescribed drugs. If one has a prescription for that "unsealed script" and isn't under the influence of that unsealed script, there is absolutely nothing that can be done legally to that driver. That prescription gives the driver the RIGHT to have that prescription in his/her possession, whether it is a partial prescription, or an unopened one. Smoking it while driving is the other side of the coin where the issue becomes driving while impaired by a prescription drug, and that applies to ALL prescription drugs. You seem to have the delusion that a legal pot prescription is somehow different from any other legal prescription that can cause impairment, and you are wrong. Sorry I hurt your feelings snowflake....NOT! Your statement "You cannot drive with an open pot prescription" is not a fact. It is not the same as an open container of alcohol, which there is a law against. That alcohol is not prescribed by a medical doctor to treat an illness. You are certainly mixing up your "facts" with a lack of understanding the law.
When did they start testing and reporting is my question? That will give a lot of insight to the stay. Cell phones are the issue specifically the rise of the smart phone. Everyone including drivers cops dnr ems they are all guilty of it. Put the damn phone down and drive!
It's more efficient to handle investigation with several moving parts while responding to a call by phone then using dispatch for everything. Dispatch can't handle the investigation information. If you pull over to use the phone while responding then your written up for taking to long. You drive to fast you will get a complaint and written up. I personally do close to NOTHING at work because people like YOU. Thank you.
Complaining about the job you took gets no sympathy from me. When seconds count you are only minutes away.
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