The State Patrol arrested fewer people than in 2014 for the pot charge. The State Patrol arrested fewer people on allegations they were driving under the influence of marijuana last year than in the previous year, according a report released Thursday. The report is the first glimpse at how the change in law is affecting highway safety, because the patrol did not keep statistics on the number of people accused of driving under the influence of marijuana prior to 2014, when recreational pot became legal. [continues 525 words]
In Colorado and Nationwide, There's Still a Lot to Learn About Combining the Two Three years after Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana, little is known about whether the state's roads are less safe - and law enforcement efforts remain largely focused on alcohol, not pot. One glaring example: A Coloradan who pleads guilty to driving under the influence of marijuana is required to install a device on his car's ignition to measure the alcohol in his breath. "Basically, I could continue to smoke as much weed as I wanted, and the DMV would be none the wiser," said Colin McCallin, a Denver defense attorney who specializes in DUI laws. [continues 1385 words]
On Dec. 2, two South Dakota residents cruised through Parker after making a wrong turn during a Colorado vacation. A Parker police officer pulled over 33-year-old Margaret McKinney because the temporary tag on her car was in the wrong place. The officer smelled marijuana and asked to search the car, McKinney said. "I thought, 'For what?' " McKinney said. "I had no reason for not allowing the search. I wasn't doing anything wrong." By the time the traffic stop ended, McKinney and her boyfriend, Dion "Tony" Anderson, 46, were out more than $25,000 after spending two hours being detained on the roadside by Parker police and a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent. [continues 1063 words]
Signs posted around Denver International Airport warn passengers of stiff fines if they are caught with marijuana. So far, though, Denver police have not cited anyone for possession and have not confiscated any marijuana products since airport officials banned pot in January. Ten people have been stopped trying to take marijuana through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, airport spokesman Heath Montgomery said Thursday. They all cooperated when police asked them to dispose of their pot. "To have contact with 10 people out of millions passing through, it tells me most people are abiding by the rules and this is not a major issue," Montgomery said. [continues 479 words]
