BOSTON — Massachusetts officials promised a crackdown Thursday on marijuana-impaired driving as the state prepared for full implementation of the voter-approved law legalizing adult use of recreational pot.
State police said they were increasing the number of officers with special training in detecting whether motorists are under the influence of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
One continuing hurdle for law enforcement is the lack of a reliable scientific test, similar to a breath test for alcohol, to measure THC impairment.
Officials also unveiled a public education media campaign aimed at younger adults that uses a humorous touch to drive home the risks associated with driving while high. One TV spot depicts an obviously stoned young man repeatedly and futilely attempting to light a gas grill without a propane tank, suggesting how dangerous it might be if the man tried to drive somewhere to fill the tank.
The goal isn’t to “demonize” marijuana use, but change perceptions that it’s safer to drive after using pot than after drinking alcohol.
Massachusetts voters were among those in four states that approved recreational marijuana questions last November, joining four states that had done so previously.
Jennifer Queally, undersecretary of public safety for law enforcement, cited evidence that those earlier states had experienced a spike in marijuana-related highway crashes since legalization.
A recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute, a leading insurance research group, found that collision claims in Colorado, Washington and Oregon went up 2.7 percent in the years since legal recreational marijuana sales began, when compared with surrounding states.
Drivers who are high on marijuana demonstrate slower reaction times, sleepiness and difficulty estimating time and distance, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.