KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Drugged driving enforcement is set to expand as new laws go into effect on Jan. 1 that will address many aspects of highway safety, including cannabis consumption.
Sponsored Articles
The California Highway Patrol is highlighting the new cannabis law in an effort to support their mission of providing safety, service and security.
As of Jan. 1, cannabis will be legalized.
“The possession, transportation and sharing of up to an ounce of (marijuana) will be legalized,” said Santa Clarita lawyer Jeff Hacker. “Additionally, someone may be able to grow as many as six plants at home to be used recreationally.”
Hacker also noted that while the City of Santa Clarita will continue to prevent commercial property use for marijuana sales, the city will not be able to prevent people from growing cannabis within their own home.
A new 2018 motor law makes it illegal to smoke or ingest cannabis while driving or riding in a vehicle, as well as being in possession of an open container of cannabis, just like the consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
A report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the national association that addresses behavioral highway-safety issues including drug-impaired driving, found that driving under the influence of drugs was more common in deaths than driving under the influence of alcohol.
In 2015 nationwide, 57 percent of fatally injured drivers were tested for drugs. Of those tested, 35.6% were found to have marijuana in their system, according to the study.
Related: Santa Clarita Valley Holiday DUI Enforcement Scheduled To Be In Full Swing
In experimental settings, marijuana impairs psychomotor skills and cognitive functions associated with driving, including time and distance perception, motor coordination, divided attention tasks and reaction time, according to the study.
Photo Courtesy of California Office of Traffic Safety
Law enforcement anticipates an increase in DUI resulting from the legalization of recreational cannabis, according to a CHP press release.
The new law will also include $3 million for the CHP to train state and local law enforcement officers in drug recognition and impairment, according to the press release.
“The legalization of cannabis does not change the effect it has on the central nervous system,” said Acting Commissioner Stanley. “Driving under the influence of cannabis and other drugs remains illegal.”
As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!
With legal marijuana use comes responsibility. Denying there is harm with marijuana use and driving is selfish and irresponsible.
The rate of fatal crashes has doubled in those states with legal adult use of marijuana.
IMMAD is a test for marijuana impairment. It is a simple vision test in app form under development for law enforcement use. It tests aspects of the tunneling of vision reported by marijuana users. IMMAD is quick, simple, objective and sensitive. IMMAD measures the dysfunction in retinal ganglion cells that was reported last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.