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Police expect to be busier once recreational pot becomes legal

EAST LANSING, MI (MPRN)--   Some local police expect more impaired drivers on the roads after the law legalizing recreational marijuana goes into effect in Michigan. 

Current law allows for a driver who tests for any amount of THC – a mind-altering component in marijuana – to be penalized in the same way drunk drivers are. But when drunk drivers get pulled over, there’s a legal blood alcohol limit on the books and an on-the-spot test.

Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth says some police are trained specifically to look for drug impairment, but the limited number will be busy.

“It’s going to be increasing more difficult for us to determine whether someone is intoxicated with THC or not,” he says.

Colorado has a legal definition of how much THC would make a driver impaired.

Wriggelsworth says if Michigan adopted a similar measure it would help clear things up.

The governor’s Impaired Driving Safety Commission was formed to determine how much THC could impact safe driving. The commission has until March to submit its findings.