cannabisnews.com: Officers Get Training as Drug Detectors Officers Get Training as Drug Detectors Posted by FoM on April 24, 2000 at 15:04:44 PT Compiled from our staff and wire services Source: Spokane.net A recent state Supreme Court decision has cleared the way for local law enforcement to make use of "drug recognition experts" trained to detect signs of drug use in motorists.Officers around the state are receiving specialized drug training at the Washington State Patrol academy in Shelton, near Olympia. This summer, after the current Drug Recognition Expert class is certified, 111 DREs will be operating for their local forces around Washington.State Patrol Sgt. Steve Johnson, the training program coordinator, said prospective DRE officers must go through about 200 hours of instruction, including classroom work and examining people who actually are on drugs.On the job, drug recognition experts measure suspected users' blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and pupil size in various lighting conditions. Because some drugs make muscles rigid, they feel for muscle tone. They look for injection sites and look in peoples' mouths for marijuana debris or cracked teeth that can indicate the tooth-grinding of a heroin user. At the end of the exam, they ask for a blood or urine sample -- usually necessary to obtain a conviction.The 12-step tests usually last from 40 to 90 minutes.Vancouver, Wash. Published: April 23, 2000Copyright: Spokane.netCannabisNews Articles & Archives On Police - Over 1800 Items:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/police.shtmlhttp://google.com/search?lc=&num=10&q=cannabisnews+police+site:cannabisnews.com Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #17 posted by cerebus on April 25, 2000 at 19:39:18 PT call me crazy.. i believe that statistics would bear out the roads are safer now than at any time before, accidents fatalities are down on average. also let me say that driving intoxicated under the influence of drugs is not something that someone should seek to do period. but how many rights must be rippeed from us before people will wake up. america isnt free anymore. thanks to the holy crusade on drug use ur constitutional rights are nonexistant. freedom is an illusion here. its just a matter of time before ur private rights are so stripped down itll be too late to stop it. americans as a whole need to wake up now, and right now that is. as in crime in this country law enforcement is huge business. with the priviatization of prisons the helicoptors heat cameras military weapons and lobbies that push for more power, more control, more equipment, more prisons every year. they couch it in the guise of protecting freedom but really they take it away and as long as it stays in south centeral la and in the gettos lets face it mr white surban voter doesnt care. hell never care till its in his neighbor hood till the police raid his neighbors home mistakenly and shoot him dead, or stop his kid snooping for possible law violations they can arrest for, till they see the corruption and lack of law that law enforcemment displays so blatently in some quarters. news flash to all from cia drug experiments with lsd to flooding the streets with crack cocaine and exposing peoples children to drugs and brainwashing private citizens with lsd experiments in the 50s 60s and maybe 70s its perfectly fine for the governmeent to dump drugs on the street when its in their best interests. they distort the news to suite their puropses they bury reports that dispell their propaganda, and they misquote the reports they do refer to or outright lie about the results or point to obscure studies that have no scientific merit to back their claims. these people have all our best interests at heart? please if anyone believes that i have swamp land ill be happy to sell em too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Tim Stone on April 25, 2000 at 18:21:23 PT Just a thought... Perhaps part of the reaason for a cop program like this is actually to drum up some "data," however spurious, to support the old myth of the Crazed Druggie wreaking havoc on the highways, am "urban legend" that goes back to the 20s. Such "data" can then be used as part of the prohibitionist counterattack against the inroads drug policy reformers have made lately. "See?," the cops can them say. "Crazed druggies _are_ a big problem on the roads. So let's hold all illicit drug users responsible for the sins of the few and arrest all illicit drug users as the most efficient way of dealing with the problem of the irresponsible few.""Just like alcohol...er...well...alcohol's different..." [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by CongressmanSuet on April 25, 2000 at 14:30:19 PT Well,,,, finally some good news for me... I cant drive worth a damn when Im straight! Much safer after imbibing....but I do have the dreaded "Red Eyes Syndrome" to find a solution for.Maybe some church- white cornea contacts, I might be able to get an item as such from one of the implant companys. The wheels are turning... [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by freedom fighter on April 25, 2000 at 11:07:37 PT my front tooth is missing! Does it means I get pulled over?Oh boy, that is sick! Try that on a Deaf Driver and see what he will say!"I know one sign language that you thought you did not know!" "Make a fist and point your middle finger up in the air!"Sorry for the profanity! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by MMMM on April 25, 2000 at 10:46:01 PT Quater bags and cyanide pills I guess, if police find us with medical marijuana in our cars, we'll have to also carry cyanide pills in case we get caught. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by kanabys on April 25, 2000 at 08:59:29 PT where do i go?? Now I have a problem. The next time I go for a physical, who do I call, my doctor or the cops????? [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by dddd on April 25, 2000 at 03:28:24 PT pulled over notnot is right,"you best prepare to be pulled over". Now far be it from this aging hippie to say anything in favor of the grotesque nature of the increasing"SS"like law enforcement on our roads,I want to say that the best way to prepare for getting pulled over,is to avoid driving anywhere,after using the legal,or illegal drug(s) of choice.I must reluctantly admit that it is true that when one gets behind the wheel,one should not be f#*%ed up,or heavily medicated in a way that impairs their ability to properly and safely navigate their vehicle. Having said this,we are faced with the akward problem of measuring how stoned,or f#$*ed up someone is. If we look at it from the perspective of someone like notnot,or doc-hawk getting slammed into by someone who was medicated legally,or illegally by whatever substance,,,then in order to pay for notnots' new Corvette,and his broken neck,notnot and his attorney,are gonna need some way to ascertain the reason for the accident,and what role being f###ed up,or heavily medicated played in it. All this is not to suggest that I am an advocate of furthering the intrusiveness of law enforcement,in fact I am shocked that I am writing this. I guess my point is;that even though the "police state",is way out of control,and our Constitution has been fried by the WODs,,,if we are to seriously approach the issue of legalization of drugs,(with the exception of marijuana),,,we will need to be prepared to be pulled over.And the best preparation is to avoid driving in an altered state. The point Doc-hawk brought up is perhaps the most significant here,in that THC lingers in your system for a long time,and as we progress towards legalization,this will become quite relevant,not because marijuana use is detremental to driving,but mainly because marijuana has been so demonized,that when you are pulled over,law enforcement will want to know if,and how stoned you are,and it is about as measurable as how nice you are............JAH shine on you all...........dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by notnot.arg on April 25, 2000 at 01:09:44 PT not kidding,nope, not at all (just ask Janet Reno) These people have got to be kiddingThese people don't like to kid around alot, and they are egged on by the recent "sucessful" kid grab in Florida. Make no mistake about it- broken taillight or seatbelt- they are coming for US. You'd best prepare to be pulled over. And I hear it's best not to joke with the officers. They don't like to kid around. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Doc-Hawk on April 25, 2000 at 00:55:38 PT: It's happening, but it should be illegal Folks, please read the article that follows with an open mind. There IS a problem with drugged drivers on the road. The worst problem however is with "legal" drugs. Unfortunately, this is not the way to solve it. Even worse, cannabis, while not a major contributor in traffic accidents, has metabolites that linger for days or even months. Since marijuana has been so demonized in the US, you are automatically guilty if you test positive, even if there is no evidence of intoxication. Most defendants will bargain out of a case, but I think that if the government approved version of THC allows one to drive (and it does!), then there should be no difference for smokers. Until a very accurate test for THC levels and a standard for intoxication is set (like .10 for alcohol), the invasive type of examination/search documented here will continue.Even then, the effects of cannabis on driving are relatively mild compared to a drunk. S. Jersey Police Learning To Detect Drugged Driving [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by .... on April 25, 2000 at 00:09:23 PT Sick Government Dictatorial tactics. Makes me want to move to Europe fast. They're much more civilized over there. The good ol' U.S.A. has lost it's capacity to realize it's a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The public wants medical marijuana legal and most states don't allow it. We need to bring sanity and logic back. Why not just charge a fine to people who use pot? (We already know smoking doesn't cause accidents... alcohol does.) [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dddd on April 24, 2000 at 20:54:36 PT Why? Perhaps the strangest thing here is,why are they even doing this?Was there some sort of public outcry? I guess it could be seen as a harbinger of legalization becoming a reality,and they're planning ahead.....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 24, 2000 at 19:14:33 PT Thanks Jean! Hi Jean! Good to see you! Sorry about the all red. I was trying to make what I said red but I goofed. The invasion of our private space is getting way to close for comfort. There isn't anything comforting in being violated and that is what this amounts to in my opinion. Maybe that's extreme but we're not talking about murderers, we're talking about people who try drugs. A great big difference!Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Jeaneous on April 24, 2000 at 18:59:47 PT: Open Wide!! All this might be funny but I'm afraid they might get away with doing it. So many of our other rights have been abolished, what's one more to them....These people have no hearts for feeling. To them they are doing their job to the best of their ability... yeah right. I fear the kind of people that these ideas come from. But I agree with you FoM..... just try to let them to make me open my mouth!!!! They might be missing a finger if they do get it open. :} [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 24, 2000 at 18:07:07 PT It is really hard to believe but I do On the job, drug recognition experts measure suspected users' blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and pupil size in various lighting conditions. I wonder if they teach them to recognize a heart attack victim or a stroke victim? Do they carry that drug that can save a persons life if they overdose and know how to use it? I'm sure not!Because some drugs make muscles rigid, they feel for muscle tone. They look for injection sites and look in peoples' mouths for marijuana debris or cracked teeth that can indicate the tooth-grinding of a heroin user. I have been athletic most of my life so I have ok muscle tone is that rigid? and I grind my teeth and I don't do Heroin! Unreal! I am not a horse and no one is going to look in my mouth just because they want too! That's the bottom line for me!There! That's my 2 cents! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by rainbow on April 24, 2000 at 17:50:47 PT profiling? I thought they rule profiling was not legal? This makes it legal again. Sir he has gold teeth that cover cracked teeth.What a farce.Legalize the stuff and stop wasting money.PeaceRainbow [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on April 24, 2000 at 17:45:45 PT: But first, they have to touch you And why would they touch you if you have made no overt signs of aggression? I can see lots of defense lawyers smiling right now. This won't last. The minute it gets to court, it will prove to be a major emabarrassment for the antis. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the judge's chambers when the first case is announced. On the basis of a four week course, these police officers will be administering de facto medical examinations. I wonder how the AMA feels about this little foray into their bailiwick; last time I heard, there are laws against practicing medicine without a license. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dave in Florida on April 24, 2000 at 16:00:36 PT UnBelievable >A recent state Supreme Court decision has cleared the way for local law enforcement to make use of "drug recognition experts" trained to detect signs of drug use in motorists.>On the job, drug recognition experts measure suspected users' blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and pupil size invarious lighting conditions. Because some drugs make muscles rigid, they feel for muscle tone. They look for injection sites and look in peoples' mouths for marijuana debris or cracked teeth that can indicate the tooth-grinding of a heroin user. At the end of the exam, they ask for a blood or urine sample -- usually necessary to obtain a conviction.Yea, right. I can see it now, get pulled over for a broken tailight, and the cop ask you to open your mouth so he can look for marajauna debris. Right.. These people have got to be kidding. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: