Montgomery County explores cannabis driving enforcement

Recreational marijuana may be legal in Maryland, but the Montgomery County Council believes it should be consumed safely - and that means no driving while high.

FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick says police are concerned with the rise of driving while high and would like more tools to get those drivers off the roads.

In July 2023, personal cannabis use and possession for those 21 and older became legal in Maryland. Since then, according to state data, about 20 percent of young adults aged 18-25 reported driving within three hours of consuming cannabis.

Increased weaving, delayed reaction time, and distorted perception are some of the impacts, Alnwick says. Collisions involving impaired driving have increased too.

Many of those drivers were using both alcohol and cannabis, which makes driving impairment even worse.

Currently, there is no equivalent of a breathalyzer to detect a level of cannabis impairment, and police can no longer pull a vehicle over just for the odor of marijuana. Officers must rely on field sobriety tests.

Montgomery County is the first police department in the nation to have so-called 'green labs' where officers can learn detection techniques directly from users.

The County Council, police department and State's Attorney's office will take another look to see what else can be done to increase enforcement.

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