LEWISTON, New York — Lewiston Police are warning drivers of the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis.
What has sparked the conversation is the cause of a deadly car crash that took place back in February of this year, where a car drove into a wooded area and crashed into a tree. One passenger was killed, and the driver and another passenger were seriously injured.
The driver of the vehicle plead guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday, and police say she has admitted to driving while under the influence of cannabis.
Unlike alcohol, it is illegal to drive while under any influence of cannabis, and police said that since the legalization of cannabis for those over the age of 21, they are seeing more accidents related to the drug.
They also said there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to detecting cannabis in drivers.
Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte said, "There's not any way that is reliable as of right now, we don't have the ability to test as we do for alcohol,".
The department does have four Drug Recognition Experts, however, who do have specialty training on drug detection.
Lewiston Police Captain MIke Salada is one, and her said, "They can come in and do a full evaluation of the person and make a determination on not just cannabis, but any drug impairment that may be occurring from that motorist."
They are also working on education, especially with younger people about the dangers and consequences that come with driving under the influence of cannabis. They are including cannabis in the D.A.R.E. program in schools.
Chief Previte is also urging people to think about everyone else on the road.
"You are putting everyone in danger on the road, even if you think, 'Oh, it's just me, and I don't care if I get hurt,' or what's the story. What about the family that's traveling in the other direction or sharing that road with you as well?" Previte said.