Posted on 04/21/2015 2:08:25 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Legislators and advocates gathered Monday to showcase a new tool that will crack down on drugged driving across the state.
DDS2, also known as a roadside drug test, is like a breathalyzer, but it tests for narcotics instead of alcohol.
The technology, in use in states such as Colorado and New Hampshire, will allow officers to find out in about a minute whether a driver is under the influence of drugs.
It uses saliva to test for six different drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and meth. The demonstration came on April 20 the unofficial stoner holiday of 4/20.
California Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, has proposed a bill that would allow all state law enforcement agencies to use this technology.
He said being able to efficiently test for drug use in drivers will cut down on the number of innocent people arrested and will help save lives.
"It's very, very disheartening when you go into the home of someone to share with them the absolute worst news possible, that their loved one has been stolen because of this decision making," he said. "And so when you experience that it changes you, it changes your perspective."
The DDS2 only tests for drug use within the past few hours.
Some critics say it might unfairly target people with legal prescriptions, such as those who take Adderall, which would show up on the test as an amphetamine.
Lackey doesn't know how much the technology would cost taxpayers, or which department would be responsible for funding it.
"This particular technology would have capture and give an indication of recency of use, which we currently do not have," Lackey said.
yeah doesn’t marijuana stay in your system for a long time. How is that going to work with the states that legalized it. Will there be a .08 test equivalent.
Oh Heck, here I thought the article would read,
Assemblyman tests roadside drug breathalizer...FAILS.
The inactive metabolic byproducts are what's usually tested for - they can stay in the system for weeks. Active THC gets stored in fatty tissue (where it has no effect) and slowly leaches out.
How is that going to work with the states that legalized it.
I believe Colorado specifies a THC concentration limit.
The metabolites do, the active ingredient does not.
“had a loved one stolen”? What does that mean?
Oh well. As long as it restricts Americans’ freedom, its all good.
Jack boot government thugs unite!
Thanks guys for the two great answers. So which one is going to get tested? The active ingredient or the metabolic inactive ones? I guess the sugar stored from beer would be he equivalent of metabolic? I’m a little confused on this one?
If this is to test a person who has been pulled over for driving erratically, fine. If it’s one of the road-blocks where you are forced to submit with no visible sign of a problem, then not fine.
A single joint will stay in your system about six hours. That is if you’re not a regular user.It does last in the blood though for weeks.
WHAT stays in your blood though. That is the part that confuses me.
Agreed
Because Adderall is an amphetamine prescription drug. Not good stuff. It should be banned as a drug with any medical therapeutic value. Give anyone amphetamines twice daily and they will be very happy. For a while. Then things go to hell from there.
Lackey doesn’t know how much the technology would cost taxpayers, or which department would be responsible for funding it.
Who Cares, lets pay for it by deducting the amount out of PUBLIC SERVANTS Salaries
Just use the Slick Willy defense: I didn’t inhale.
Just use the Slick Willy defense: I didn’t inhale.
The confusion is not surprising, in fact, it's probably intentional.
At any rate, THC COOH (pronounced carboxy THC) is a metabolite of THC delta 9, the psychoactive cannabinoid in pot. THC delta 9 is commonly referred to as just THC, and the carboxy commonly referred to as THC COOH. The COOH metabolite (made by the body FROM the active THC) takes a few hours to become present and detectable. It is not psychoactive. It is the chemical that for years, and in employment and other contexts has been the subject of urine tests, and can be found for days, weeks, or even months. Being lipid (fat) soluble it is the THC COOH that is stored in the fat cells and hangs around for a long time. Since urine sampling and testing is cheap and simple, an employer can use it to fire someone, even though the smoking may have been only on Friday nights with no employment until Monday, and never within any possible impairing time of work.
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