Title:
Bill would require drug tests in DUI cases
Message:
A bill was introduced in the New Jersey Legislature that would allow law-enforcement officials to test for drugs in cases with DUI charges. A. 3594, introduced by Assemblyman Francis Bodine (R-Burlington), would incriminate individuals who test positive for past marijuana use, even if they are not under its influence.
MPP opposes driving dangerously under the influence of marijuana. However, because marijuana metabolites remain in a person's body for as long as four weeks after marijuana is smoked or ingested, this bill threatens the freedom of individuals who drive within a month of using marijuana.
Please contact your legislators and urge them to oppose this unreasonable bill: Only you can convince them that this issue is important to New Jersey residents.
Please visit Take Action. After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your legislators … all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also, you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through regular mail.
MPP does not oppose testing to determine current impairment, but urine tests are unreliable. Even if someone is not under the influence of marijuana, the trace amounts of metabolites detected by a urinalysis can make it seem as if he or she is impaired. Your legislators need to know that testing someone for marijuana in a suspected DUI case is potentially hazardous to the personal liberties of the driver. For the full text of this bill, click here.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this information on so that even more voices for reform can be heard.
