As Maryland prepares for the legalization of recreational marijuana, Baltimore County police officers are learning how to detect when drivers are impaired by the drug.
Officers are receiving training in something called "The Green Lab" at the Chesapeake Region Safety Council in Windson Mill, WJZ-TV reports. The lab allows medical cannabis cardholders to use the drug, and officers observe the levels of impairment in real time.
"There's going to be people now that are going to smell like marijuana, they're going to tell you they're on marijuana," said Jeff Schaub, a member of the Baltimore County police DUI Task Force. "You may see marijuana in the car, but they're not impaired. It's OK to let them get back in the car and leave. If they're not impaired, it's time to let them drive and be on their way."
That's a stark change for police, who are used to decades of dealing with marijuana as an illegal substance. Now, officers must adjust to the impending changes in the law, and like with drunken drivers, they must be able to recognize when drivers have crossed the line from legal use to impairment.
"We are part of society. We need to learn to be with society," said Shaub. "That doesn't mean accepting the bad stuff. It means to live with the good stuff and understand what is normal now and what is useful."
Recreational cannabis becomes legal in Maryland in July 1.
