California Bill Would Target Cannabis Users with Drugged Driving Checkpoints

Senator Bob Huff (R-San Dimas) wants to drug screen California drivers with an oral swab. Huff introduced a measure on Tuesday which is designed at cracking down on drugged drivers. SB-1462 would allow law enforcement to conduct oral fluid drug screening tests on the side of the road.

“Drugged driving is quickly becoming a serious public health and safety problem that is under-reported, under-enforced and under-recognized,” stated Senator Huff. “We lack the same kind of deterrents for drugged driving as we do for drunk driving, yet highway safety hazards and fatalities are increasing with widespread prescription and illicit drug abuse across all demographics.” The proposed legislation is supported by the California Police Chiefs Association, California Narcotic Officers Association and We Save Lives.

We Save Lives is the group responsible for preventing crashes from the three D’s: Drunk, drugged and distracted driving. SB-1462 would allow drug tests “when there is probable cause that an officer suspects suspicious or reckless driving and the driver has already failed field sobriety tests.” Cannabis stays in your system much longer than most, if not all other street drugs. “Oral swab testing is still an unproven technology,” Dale Gieringer of NORML observed. “Its accuracy has not been demonstrated in controlled, published scientific studies. There’s no evidence that oral swab testing results have any correlation to impaired driving.” Huff continued by saying that an oral swab may not be as conclusive as a blood test, but blood tests are not practical on the highway.

You may have already been drug screened in one of the state’s test programs. “Police departments in Bakersfield, Fullerton, Los Angeles and Sacramento tested oral swabs during 2013 and 2014, with assistance from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Senator Huff. “

The bill will face its first committee hearing on April 19, 2016. Find local checkpoints here.