KC area cops are on high alert for 4/20: ‘If you feel different, you drive different’
As Kansas Citians celebrate the first 4/20 since Missouri voters legalized marijuana, drivers should be on watch for more police officers on the roads.
The Kansas City Police Department and the Jackson and Platte County sheriffs’ offices will all be participating in a national campaign to put more cops on the roads to combat impaired driving on Thursday for the marijuana-related holiday. The Lenexa Police Department will also be participating in Kansas.
The campaign is led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which awards grants to participating police departments to fund overtime hours for officers joining in the special 4/20 enforcement.
NHTSA and local police departments are asking drivers to follow a simple rule of thumb: “If you feel different, you drive differently.”
“If you drive under the influence of marijuana and your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely is impaired, you will go to jail,” KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle said in a statement.
At least two-thirds of drivers involved in a deadly crash or seriously injured on the road had at least one active drug in their system, including marijuana, alcohol and opioids, according to a 2020 NHTSA study.
“It has been proven that THC can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane,” Lenexa Police Department spokesperson Danny Chavez said in a statement.
“It doesn’t matter what term is used: If a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, or wasted, he or she should not get behind the wheel.”
Getting pulled over for weed on 420
When someone is pulled over because they are suspected of driving under the influence of drugs, the police officer will do a set of tests to see if the driver is impaired. A drug recognition expert will screen the driver to determine if they are under the influence, KCPD Captain Corey Carlisle told The Star last fall.
However, there is no level of exposure that is being tested. Instead officers will be looking for signs of impairment. For a breakdown of what a traffic stop for an impaired driver might look like, visit here.
According to Missouri law firm David Naumann & Associates, Missouri law doesn’t specify a certain level of impairment for “driving under the influence of drugs” citations.
If someone has marijuana in their system, it does not automatically mean they are under the influence. If a person is found to be impaired and unable to drive safely, they will likely be arrested.
In Kansas, driving under the influence can lead to an arrest, your vehicle being towed, criminal charges or even having to complete an intervention program on your own dime, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
If convicted for driving while impaired in Kansas, the driver receives a Class B misdemeanor on their first offense and has to either serve a mandatory 48 hours to six months in jail or 100 hours of public service and no less than $750 in fines and no more than $1,000.
Driving while under the influence in Missouri is considered a Class B misdemeanor, if it’s the first offense. That first offense can result in up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.
