>> ERIC: WITH THE LEGALIZATION OF ADULT-USE CANNABIS, THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE TO DRIVE WHILE THEY ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE DRUG.
THIS WEEK AND NEXT, WE ARE GOING TO GET A COUPLE OF PERSPECTIVES ON HOW CANNABIS IMPAIRMENT IS MEASURED AND WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL BE DOING TO KEEP OUR ROADS SAFE.
NEXT WEEK WE’LL HEAR FROM BLOOMINGTON POLICE CHIEF BOOKER HODGES.
TONIGHT WE ARE JOINED BY ATTORNEY THOMAS GALLAGHER.
HE’S ON THE BOARD OF THE MINNESOTA CHAPTER OF NORML, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
IS THIS GOING TO INCREASE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTSES?
>> NO, IT’S NOT.
FOR A FEW REASONS.
ONE, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SMOKING MARIJUANA FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THE LEGALIZATION ISN’T — IT’S ARGUABLE WHETHER IT WILL DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THAT.
IF WE LOOKED AT THE ALCOHOL PROHIBITION, IT HAPPENED DURING WHOL PROHIBITION COMPARED TO BEFORE IS MORE PEOPLE USED ALCOHOL DURING PROHIBITION, AND THEN AFTER PROHIBITION ENDED, PEOPLE USED EVEN MORE TO CELEBRATE FOR A COUPLE, FEW YEARS.
AND THEN THE USE STARTED DROPPING DOWN ACK TOWARDS THE USER RATE BEFORE PROHIBITION.
I’VE SEEN NEW STORIES RECENTLY ABOUT SOME OF THE EARLY STATES WHO LEGALIZED WHERE THE USAGE RATE IS STARTING TO COME DOWN ALREADY.
>> Mary: IS IT TRUE IN COLORADO.
CITING CRY OCTOBER THAT THERE WAS A TRAFFIC INJURIES AND DEATH.
AND THEY WOULD SAY THAT WENT UP.
WOULD YOU QUESTION THAT DATA?
>> I DO QUESTION THE DATA.
BECAUSE I’VE HEARD, THE REPORTS I’VE SEEN AND LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE HEARINGS I’VE BEEN IN WHERE I’VE HEARD TESTIMONY, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A FATAL ACCIDENT, AND SOMEBODY TESTED POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA, IN AIR QUOTES.
MY QUESTION IS, SHOW ME THE BLOOD TEST, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT DRUG TESTING FOR CANNABIS VERSUS ALCOHOL VERSUS OTHER DRUGS.
BECAUSE WITH CANNABIS, IT’S — THERE ARE MONEY MONEY TABO LITES THAT ARE NOT PSYCHO ACTIVE.
SO CARBOXY THC WHICH IS ONE OF THOSE, STAYS IN YOUR BODY FOR UP TO 30 DAYS — >> Mary: SOUNDS COMPLICATED.
IS THERE A GOOD TEST >> HOW DO YOU MEASURE IMPAIRMENT?
>> IT’S DIFFICULT, BUT IT’S — YES, IT IS DIFFICULT.
IT’S MORE DIFFICULT WITH DELTA-9THC WHICH IS THE MAIN PSYCHOACTIVE IN MARIJUANA LARGEBY BECAUSE IT’S FAT SOLUBLE.
ALCOHOL IS WATER SOLUBLE.
MANY OTHER DRUGS ARE WATER SOLUBLE.
THC CAN GET LOCKED IN OUR FAT CELLS AND THEN BE RELEASED LATER ON WHEN YOU DON’T EAT THAT FOOD THAT DAY OR SOMETHING.
NOT ENOUGH TO IMPAIR YOU.
BUT ENOUGH TO HAVE A RACE LEVEL DRUG TEST.
>> Eric: IS THIS AN UNDUE BURDEN FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT?
NO, I DON’T THINK IT IS.
I THINK THAT IT’S MORE DIFFICULT TO MAKE A CASE, COMPARED TO ALCOHOL DUI.
WE’RE ALL COMPARING DUI MARIJUANA TO DUI ALCOHOL.
IT’S JUST IRRESISTIBLE NOT TO DO THAT.
AND PEOPLE ARE KIND OF FILLING IN THE BLANKS OF THINGS THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT MARIJUANA WITH THINGS THEY DO KNOW ABOUT ALCOHOL AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE NOT ACCURATE AND THEY’RE MISLEADING.
SO ONE OF THOSE IS WITH ALCOHOL, THERE’S A WRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN YOUR BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL AND IMPAIRMENT WHEN IT COMES TO DRIVING.
BUT WITH DEVELOPMENT YA-9 THC AND MARIJUANA, THAT’S NOT TRUE AT ALL.
THERE’S NO CORRELATION.
SO IT MAKES NO SENSE TO LIMIT LAW, LIKE SOME EARLY ADOPTER STATES HAD, AND NOW THERE’S TALK IN GETTING RID OF THOSE.
>> Mary: LET’S PIVOT TO EXPHUMENT.
THERE’S SOME AUTOATIC EXPUNGEMENT.
HOW DO YOU SEE IT WORKING?
>> I HAVEN’T DONE A DEEP DIVE INTO THAT.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE LOWER LEVEL CRIMES, THE NON-FELONY CRIMES SHOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY EXPUNGED WITHOUT THE INDIVIDUAL INTERESTING TO DO ANYTHING.
AND THEN THERE’S GOING TO BE A BOARD THAT WILL REVIEW SOME APPLICATIONS FOR EXPUNGEMENT FOR FELONY CASES.
>> Mary: SO DO YOU THINK YOU’D BE REPRESENTING THOSE PEOPLE?
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR WORK GOING FORWARD?
>> MY UNDERSTANDING, WHICH COULD UN– MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT, BUT I THINK THE IDEA BEHIND IT WAS TO NOT HAVE TO HAVE A LAWYER INVOLVED.
NECESSARILY.
>> Mary: JUST PUTTING YOU HAD OUT OF BUSINESS.
>> YEAH, WELL, YEAH.
[ Laughter ] I THINK A PROBLEM WITH EXPUNGEMENT, LIKE, WHEN I WAS TALKING TO RYAN WINKLER AND OTHER LAWMAKERS ABOUT ANY ISSUE AND OTHER PEOPLE TOO, A LOT OF US HAVE SAID, LOOK, EXPUNGEMENT, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY 99% OF THE PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA THAT HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR EXPUNGEMENT NEVER GOT ONE.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE BARRIER IS TOO HIGH.
THERE’S TOO MANY BARRIERS TO AVERAGE NORMAL PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE TRYING TO GO TO WORK, MAKE MONEY, PAY FOR BILLS TO SOMEHOW HIRE A LAWYER OR DO THE THINGS THEY NEED TO DO.
SO THE IDEA IN THIS BILL WAS TO REDUCE THOSE BARRIERS.
MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO GET EXPUNGEMENTS.
>> Eric: PUT A MAN ON THE MOON.
I ASSUME THERE ARE COMPANIES WORKING ON A ROADSIDE TEST RIGHT NOW.
HOW IS THAT PROGRESSING?
>> IT’S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE CANADA, I THINK AUSTRALIA, HAVE THESE SALIVA TESTS OR ORAL FLUID TESTS AND THERE’S SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR BREATH TESTS.
BUT THEY’RE KIND OF DIFFERENT THAN MOST OF THE ALCOHOL BREATH TESTS.
THE ALCOHOL BREATH TESTS TEST THE VAPOR IN YOUR BREATH.
BUT THE THC HAS LITTLE DROPLETS OF THE SALIVA IN YOUR BREATH.
AND THEN IT PICKS UP THE DROPLETS.
SALIVA IN — SALIVA HAS THC IN IT.
SO LIKE A EUROPE TEST DOES A URINE TEST DOES NOT HAVE METABOLITES.
>> Eric: WE’RE GETTING THE HOOK.
>> Mary: YEAH, WE’RE OUT OF TIME.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
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