LANSING, MI-- A measure recently signed into law will allow officers to administer a saliva test to drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs.
Sponsored by state Senator Tom Casperson, the Barbara J. and Thomas J. Swift Law creates a one-year pilot program under which trained Michigan State Police troopers can test suspected drugged drivers on the road. The test would determine the presence of controlled substances like cannabinoids, opiates, and amphetamines in the driver’s system.
The analysis would only take place during routine traffic encounters where driver impairment is detected. The police would still need a valid reason to make a traffic stop, exactly as they do when someone is suspected of operating under the influence of alcohol.
The law is named after Escanaba residents Tom and Barbara Swift, who were killed in a traffic crash after being hit by a driver who had THC in his system.
