SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — When the sale of recreational marijuana became legal on Jan. 1, law enforcement officials expected an uptick in the numbers of people caught driving under the influence of the drug.
That has not yet happened. Since the beginning of the year, police in unincorporated Santa Cruz County have arrested just six people for operating a motor vehicle while stoned, California Highway Patrol Officer Trista Drake said.
That does not include arrests of people arrested for mixing marijuana with alcohol or other drugs, which is a far larger number, Drake said.
“It’s very rare that we find drivers that are only impaired on marijuana,” she said.
Whatever the drug of choice, all CHP officers receive specialized training to help them find suspected intoxicated drivers, and to determine that they should not be driving.
A handful are further trained to recognize when drivers are under the influence of drugs. CHP officials hope to grow this number to 65 percent of its force, Drake said.
When looking for drivers under the influence of marijuana, Drake said that officers on patrol normally look for the same signs of impairment as those that come with alcohol, including weaving, slow reactions to traffic lights and unexpected obstacles, and less awareness of speed and surroundings.
When arrested, those drivers face the same penalties that come with a DUI from alcohol.
“If you’re going to use marijuana recreationally, you have to be responsible and not get behind the wheel,” she said.
