Weed Feed: Gov. Jerry Brown Signs New Law Banning Any Cannabis Use On State Roadways

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WEED FEED / John Ross Ferrara / Monday, Sept. 18, 2017 @ 10 a.m.

Weed Feed: Gov. Jerry Brown Signs New Law Banning Any Cannabis Use On State Roadways

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. | National Parks Service.

While driving intoxicated on cannabis was already illegal, no laws prevented California drivers or passengers from taking the edge off while cruising the road.

But last week, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill prohibiting drivers or passengers from using any form of cannabis on California roadways.

The LA Times reports that the measure was written by Sen. Jerry Hill in anticipation of recreational cannabis becoming legal this January.

The newly signed bill will soon allow officers to issue offending drivers or passengers a $70 fine.

In an interview with the Sacramento Bee, California Highway Patrol Drug Evaluation Coordinator Glen Glaser said that officers are trained to determine a driver’s level of intoxication based on categories and not one specific drug.

“Whether it be be depressive, stimulants — cannabis is a category, narcotics … we train [officers] to determine impairment based on a category, not a specific drug,” Glaser told reporters last year. “Our officers are trained to recognize impairment and that’s the key. Whether they’re impaired with cannabis or another substance, we want to take unsafe drivers off the road.”

Gov. Brown also vetoed another cannabis bill that would have — in theory — prevented marijuana packaging from appealing to kids.

KGTV in San Diego reports that Gov. Brown wrote a statement to California Senators regarding his decision, saying that current laws already prohibit cannabis products from being “attractive to children.”

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The Weed Feed is a weekly column written by John Ross Ferrara.

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