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Volunteers get high to help California police spot pot users
Even though recreational marijuana is legal in California, most people probably wouldn't be comfortable smoking around police officers. But that's exactly what Edson Villegas volunteered to do, CBS Los Angeles reports.
Villegas took part in a "green lab" to help officers, prosecutors and toxicologists identify signs of impairment as drugged driving becomes a growing problem on roads.
"Approximately 75 percent of the DUI arrests that I make nowadays are drug impaired -- more specifically to cannabis than alcohol," said Glendale Police Officer Bryan Duncan.
The volunteer users took field sobriety tests at the beginning of the evening, then went into a tent and smoked marijuana. When they went back and took the same field sobriety tests, officers could see if there were any changes in their mental or physical abilities.
See also: Girl Scout sells more than 300 boxes of cookies at San Diego marijuana dispensary
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Thursday February 15 2018, @10:56PM (2 children)
Not being able to walk heel-to-toe would make me suspicious of a coordination problem; not definitely, but I did say "maybe". Driving tests should evaluate actual skill, vision, reaction times, awareness, and decision making. Some people are much better drivers quite drunk that others are sober.
Really, I think licence testing, and even roadside testing should be done with VR/simulators.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @12:45AM
I knew a dance instructor[1] who claimed that he was pulled over by a cop and told to walk the white line.
The story he told said that he danced the line.
The cop asked "What are you doing?"
"Texas Two-Step. It's the only way I can travel in a straight line."
(I'm inclined to believe the story was a fabrication.)
[1] Cheers, Tom Mattox.
You enjoyed your short life, indulging yourself at every opportunity.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday February 16 2018, @08:27AM
I have very good balance (I can run along railroad tracks) and while I can stand on one leg indefinitely... I note that the walk-heel-to-toe thing is actually designed to fail. Try it with arms outstretched vs arms at your sides, and you'll feel the difference. If you want people to reliably fail on the first attempt, make 'em do it with their arms down at their sides and at a normal walking pace.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.