Police fear boost in impaired drivers with passing of marijuana law
As Massachusetts prepares next month to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, police chiefs in a number of cities and towns say they worry the new law will give rise to a wave of impaired drivers — a crime they say is challenging to investigate and prosecute.
“It’s extremely difficult for us,” Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch said. “There’s no simple test like with OUI-alcohol where we have a breathalyzer. . . . With marijuana there’s no breathalyzer.”
Keeping marijuana users from getting behind the wheel, and arresting and prosecuting those who break that law, topped the concerns of many police officials interviewed by the Globe.
Police chiefs said they also worried about keeping the drug, especially in the edible form, out of the hands of underage users. The chiefs also fear that black markets may emerge once recreational use by adults age 21 and older becomes lawful on Dec. 15. Marijuana shops can open in January 2018.
“There are going to be a bunch of challenges, but we have to deal and prepare for the reality of it,” said Salisbury Police Chief Thomas Fowler. “Question 4 passed.”
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