CLEVELAND — Sales of recreational marijuana started in Ohio on Tuesday. But, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is sending a message that just because it’s legal to use the drug, it is not legal to get behind the wheel impaired.
Last year, Ohio State Highway Patrol Troopers made 3,319 drug-impaired driving arrests. That included 789 marijuana-impaired arrests, 715 drug-impaired driving arrests in which the driver had a combination of marijuana and another drug in their system, and 1,865 drug-impaired driving arrests for a drug other than marijuana.
“Just because it’s legal to purchase doesn’t mean it’s legal to consume and then get behind the wheel of a vehicle. It’s just like alcohol; you can go to a bar, you can go to a restaurant, you can consume at home at a party. That doesn’t mean you should get behind the wheel,” said Lt. Ray Santiago, public information officer at Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Last year, Santiago said, there was a 3% decrease in fatal crashes across the state. However, troopers spotted a troubling trend.
“Drug-impaired driving fatal crashes increased by 4%. It’s one of the few classes that is outpacing everything else,” Santiago said. “It does worry me, it's something that should worry all of us."
In 2011, all troopers started receiving Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement Training as a requirement. OHSP also has specially trained troopers to detect drugs.
“We have drug recognition experts that are available to us across the state. We currently have 168 troopers that are considered drug recognition experts,” explained Santiago.
Right now, police detect marijuana usage through blood and urine tests. But law enforcement could soon have another tool. House Bill 230 would give law enforcement the ability to conduct oral fluid tests on drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of the two.
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