Eden Prairie police will soon test drivers they suspect have been using marijuana.
The city will be one of several Minnesota municipalities testing a new kit that utilizes a saliva swab. The test reveals how recently a person ingested marijuana or opioids but does not indicate the level of impairment.
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), under the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, is launching the statewide pilot project. An OTS spokesperson stated that the units for this project have been ordered but are not yet in use, with their arrival anticipated in mid-December.
The saliva test screens for six substances, including cannabis and opioids, using both the SoToxa Mobile Test System and the Dräger DrugTest 5000. Both devices have been tested in other states.
“We should get started around the first of the year,” said Sgt. Tom Lowery of the Eden Prairie Police Department.
Participation in the test is voluntary. Test results cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings, and individuals who consent to the test will not face arrest or license revocation.
There will be no random testing. An officer who has stopped a driver for a traffic violation will conduct the test if they suspect impairment and the driver consents.
The department will submit the data to the Minnesota Legislature in the 2024 session, aiming to update state laws to allow these testing devices as evidence for law enforcement to arrest impaired drivers.
One Eden Prairie officer in the department will have the kit, which is valued at about $5,000. That officer is Chad Streiff, who handles most of the department’s driving-while-impaired cases.
According to a study by the State of Michigan, the swab test is less effective than blood tests.
The test kit, OTS Director Mike Hanson has stated, is designed to detect recent impairment, targeting marijuana use within the last few hours rather than 10 to 14 days earlier.
The testing by Eden Prairie police will start following an observed increase in marijuana use by drivers, a trend noted since the statewide law liberalizing possession rules took effect on Aug. 1.
“A year ago, we would see one case a month,” said Lowery. “Now we are seeing approximately one a week.
“Oftentimes, a person will combine marijuana use with alcohol, and that can be a serious combination.”
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