FLORIDA – According to Nbc-2.com, marijuana use among drivers is presenting challenges for police in Florida. Drunk driving arrests have become simple and routine for officers because there are reliable tests for them to perform on suspects.
When an officer suspects that a person was driving under the influence of alcohol, the person can be administered a breathalyzer, and their blood alcohol limit can be determined with reasonable certainty. The law dictates that .08 percent blood alcohol concentration is the legal limit for alcohol.
In Florida, medical marijuana is now legal, but there is no standard for how much of the drug a person can have in their system, or for when a person’s level of impairment violates the law. The same is true of other drugs, whether illegal or legal medications. While the law is unclear on many of these drugs, it is clear that there are many substances that can negatively impact a person’ ability to drive.
Police officer Allan Kolak works as a Drug Recognition Expert for the Cape Coral Police. When a person is suspected of driving a vehicle while under the influence of a drug other than alcohol, Officer Kolak can come in and test the person for impairment with field sobriety tests. The tests simply involve having the driver walk in a certain way and follow instructions. While blood tests can give more information about what a driver may have taken or how much, drivers are not required to take these tests unless they are involved in a crash that causes injuries or death. Still, if a person’ fails the tests administered by officers like Kolak, then they can be arrested. The officer reminds drivers not to get behind the wheel if their medication, even legal medication makes them feel “different,” or they do not “feel right.”
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