After nearly one month after the legalization of recreational marijuana in California, officials are still trying to determine the best way to enforce the law and keep dangerously stoned drivers off the road.
The Los Angeles Police Department has been experimenting with a device that can detect Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and six other drugs in saliva with an absorbent swab. Right now, the department only has four of those devices, NBC4 media partner KPCC reports.
As of Jan. 1, state law prohibits drivers from having an open container of cannabis inside the car or using the substance while driving. The offical rules for someone using cannabis before driving a car is still unclear.
"There is kind of a disconnect between the blood levels and how impaired you really are," Dr. Igor Grant, director of UC San Diego's Center for Medical Cannabis Research, told KPCC.
"I think where we're at now with cannabis is where they were at in the 60s and 70s with alcohol," said Officer Kamaron Sardar of LAPD's Drug Recognition Expert unit. "The laws are being passed, kind of putting the cart before the horse, before the science is really there to understand it and we are now faced with technology trying to catch up."
