Pushing those who drive high on drugs

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It’s probably happened to most people who drive. There’s always that one driver on the road who doesn’t seem to be paying attention and begs the question: ‘‘Are you on something?’’

Apparently, it’s not unheard of. About 9.5 million people age 12 and older say they’ve used a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

But catching these drivers is difficult, according to the East Lansing Police Department. Traditional drug tests, including urine samples, don’t always give the information needed to prove a driver has had enough to be impaired.

That’s why East Lansing police made fewer than four drugged driving arrests in 2007. Police made 479 drunken driving arrests that same year.

But it’s naive to think low arrest numbers mean there isn’t a problem in the city.

Let’s get our heads out of the sand.

It’s a college campus. What student hasn’t walked by a dorm room with marijuana smoke wafting up from the gap under the door or gone to a party where some other drug was used? Not everyone does drugs, but it’s not a stretch to say many do.

In an environment that can create a lot of stress, provide a lot of freedom and offer many enticements, a college town seems like a prime place for experimentation.

And there’s a good chance these people drive, even while impaired.

About 12 states have laws that will penalize drivers with any trace of a prohibited drug in their blood, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Other states require evidence that the drug impaired the driver in some way.

For Michigan, it’s illegal to drive under the influence of cocaine, opium or PCP. But with any other drug, police officers must prove a driver’s ability was impaired.

Until science provides a way to give efficient, on-the-spot drug testing, and laws specify what is considered impairment, controlling the drugged driving population will be difficult.

But local officers need to pool whatever resources and effort they can spare into coming up with some guidelines.

Police can start by doing their homework. Spend some time figuring out what the drugs of choice are in the area — or what people in the area get busted for the most — and know what the signs are for someone who has taken that drug.

THE STATE NEWS, East Lansing

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