California State Senator Lou Correa appears to view the low DUI thresholds for drivers as insufficient. Correa has introduced what many are calling a “sober driver” law where a citizen can be arrested for having any detectable level of drugs in their system, even if they are functionally sober. This includes cannabinoids which can stay in your system for weeks. The law seems to move beyond prosecuting people who are actually impaired in driving.
The bill is supported by the California Narcotic Officers Association and the California Police Chiefs Association.
Correa calls the bill his “zero-tolerance” policy — an unfortunate term given the ludicrous history of zero tolerance policies in schools on guns and drugs where students are expelled for drawings and aspirin.
SB 289 would make it illegal for a person to drive a vehicle if his or her blood contains any detectable amount of Schedule I, II, III or IV drugs. It excludes medicine used with a valid prescription issued by a licensed health care practitioner. The law has been passed in other states, but it raises a serious question about the prosecution of individuals who are not actually impaired with detectable levels of a drug still in their system.
What do you think?
Source: East Bay Express
One more reason to leave California.
“The law seems to move beyond prosecuting people who are actually impaired in driving.” (JT)
Seems to?
It clearly criminalizes status, with no connection to either behavior or threat.
Most states already have different scales to allow for charging “driving while impaired”, even if below the legal limit, I believe. But his goes mindlessly further.
And the exemption for legally prescribed meds is the bugaboo in ALL attempts to regulate.drugs — and incidentally showing up 1) the thrust and agenda behinds such regs and 2) the lack of practical understanding of the meaningless distinction between “legal” and “illegal” addictions, with far greater similarities than differences.
In a state where it is legal for medicinal purposes, it seems a bit odd even given the prescription exclusion.
land of the fee, home of the slave….
btw drivers under the influence of marijuana are not a threat. A person has to smoke an enormous amount to have a truly negative effect
Excellent point Pete. But Corporate America would never accept that because then the salaried wage-slaves would not be able to work a stupid amount of hours each day/week
Btw, incase anyone is not aware, fatigued drivers are a much greater threat to your life than a drunk is.
are they also mandating a full eight hours sleep every night?
I think they should make it a felony to drive while texting. Capital punishment if you are on the phone and texting. Death by fire if you are eating, texting and talking on the phone and are a RepubliCon.
This Correa guy is the brother of one of the Cheech and Chong guys. He is doing this as a farce. FartinDog could never drive a car under those conditions.
The proposed law is Constitutional, and that is problematic, because one day laws may make it illegal to drive while not sober due to being crazy, lazy, Republican, or lacking confidence in “lone nut” mass shootings, fake landings on the Moon, and other Government fairy tales such as 9/11 was an attack carried out by former CIA asset OBL, and his Merry Band of young Saudi coke snorters/suicde bomb bers.
What’s the probably cause? You have a tail light out and they test for drugs? They set up road blocks and test all drivers?