SACRAMENTO >> Gov. Brown signed a package of measures that will help California deal with the growing problem of drugged driving. Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) led the effort to create a task force that will allow the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to develop — in coordination with the numerous state and local agencies affected by drugged driving — best practices for law enforcement to detect high drivers.
With this measure, Lackey believes Californians will also now have a simple and clear definition to follow for transporting cannabis in a vehicle. Unless the cannabis is in a container with an unbroken seal, it must be the vehicle’s trunk — sending a clear message that cannabis and driving must be separate. Unlike for alcohol, no clear guidelines existed for carrying cannabis vehicles.
“Governor Brown took a critical step today to help ensure California’s roadways are safe,” said Lackey. “We need to be prepared for next year when recreational cannabis sales begin and this will allow CHP to get started on its work now.”
CHP will be charged to conduct pilot tests of new roadside technologies that screen drivers for drugs. Additionally, the package provides $3,000,000 to CHP to train drug recognition experts.
The package of drugged driving provisions were included in legislation (Senate Bill 94) that implements California’s recreational cannabis regulatory system created by the passage of Proposition 64.
Lackey spent 28-years in the CHP prior to being elected to the State Assembly, much of it working the graveyard shift when impaired driving is most prevalent.
