Minnesota cannabis law funds training to help officers spot impaired drivers

New cannabis law funds special training for Minnesota law enforcement

New cannabis law funds special training for Minnesota law enforcement

The newly signed cannabis bill that legalizes marijuana in Minnesota later this summer for adults includes a $15 million component for funding additional law enforcement training to detect impaired drivers.

“We need to have officers who are specially trained out there who can recognize drivers who are under the influence of something other the influence of alcohol, including cannabis,” said Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

There isn’t one standardized testing device that shows someone’s impaired from marijuana like you might find for detecting alcohol, which is one reason why law enforcement agencies are planning to train more officers in spotting intoxicated drivers.

Minnesota currently has more than 270 officers working in different departments who are specially trained to detect impaired drivers.

The goal would be for 500 new drug recognition evaluators to be trained as marijuana becomes legal so that any officer in the state could reach out or be helped on a traffic stop by a specially trained officer, according to DPS.

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“This is a highly specialized training course. Officers frequently tell me it’s the most rigorous and academically demanding training that they’ve ever gone through,” Hanson said. “Not every officer is cut out for it — it’s very challenging. The officers who go through it are very committed to removing impaired drivers from the road.”

The classroom training, hands-on evaluations for drug recognition evaluators and certifications run about $25,000 per officer, according to the state.

The legislature also set aside $1.4 million for the first year and $1.1 million for the second year to take part in a pilot program trying out a roadside saliva test trying to determine drug impairment.

“I think we’re prepared. There are certainly going to be challenges, potholes in the road, as we learn and move forward,” Hanson said.

DPS officials have been reaching out to other states, including Colorado and Washington, that have legalized marijuana to try to learn about traffic safety enforcement efforts.

If you plan to use marijuana once it becomes legal, the State Patrol has a message.

“Impaired is impaired, regardless of what that substance may be. We just want people to plan ahead. Have a great time,” said Lt. Gordon Shank with the Minnesota State Patrol. “We ask them to do so responsibly and safely.