Legalization of cannabis

[Kevin 101]

Does the state have that right, or do you have that right?

You can refuse any of the above... though I'd imagine you have to pick one

[hym 358]

You can refuse any of the above... though I'd imagine you have to pick one

A lot of jurisdictions have laws stipulating that if you refuse the non-invasive sobriety tests, you automatically consent to the invasive ones. This makes it difficult to have non-invasive testing policies for two chief reasons:

1. Short of laboratory analysis, positively determining marijuana use is difficult. This means that you almost have to submit to invasive testing to determine marijuana use.
   
2. Unlike alcohol, impairment from marijuana does not fit a well defined model.
   

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Legalizing marijuana also raises the issue of how testing would be performed. In the absence of a field kit that provides rapid, reliable testing results, officers would have to be authorized to detain suspected individuals to obtain blood/urine samples or provide officers with unlimited freedom to level DUI/DWI charges.

Necessity is the mother of invention. If it became an issue you can bet there would soon be a field kit for the cops.

[hym 358]

Necessity is the mother of invention. If it became an issue you can bet there would soon be a field kit for the cops.

Is there really a need though? Many government officials will be uncomfortable supporting widespread marijuana legalization without availability of a practical field kit, and the private sector will likely be uncomfortable developing a practical field kit if there isn't already widespread support for marijuana legalization.

[Duke87 1,070]

Does the state have that right, or do you have that right?

You can refuse any of the above... though I'd imagine you have to pick one

You actually don't. But if you refuse to submit to any sort of test, your drivers' license is automatically suspended for 180 days. If you submit to the test and test positive, the suspension is only 90 days.

Implementing a similar policy for cannabis shouldn't be difficult.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Necessity is the mother of invention. If it became an issue you can bet there would soon be a field kit for the cops.

Is there really a need though? Many government officials will be uncomfortable supporting widespread marijuana legalization without availability of a practical field kit, and the private sector will likely be uncomfortable developing a practical field kit if there isn't already widespread support for marijuana legalization.

This, my friend, is called Catch 22. If we all sat in stasis until we got everything in order, we'd not do much, eh?