Police in Ocean City, Maryland say they received an “overwhelming” number people who want to volunteer to smoke marijuana and drive a vehicle in a controlled setting for DUI recognition training purposes—with the added promise of a free lunch for participants.
The Ocean City Police Department posted a Facebook message on Monday asking for volunteers to participate in a cannabis-impaired-driving exercise. On Tuesday, they informed the public they already had enough applicants and wouldn’t be taking any more.
In the original posting, it was stated that they were partnering up with Cannabis Green Lab to host Maryland Highway Safety Office’s (MHSO) Zero Deaths DUI Conference. OCPD was seeking 12-14 volunteer “to smoke marijuana for educational purposes, while officers learn how to recognize cannabis impaired.”
The Green Lab allows officers to better understand cannabis’ effects, and the levels of impairment that it can cause, in a controlled, safe environment.
Participants who are ultimately selected will need to bring their own cannabis to smoke prior to the driving exercise—but OCPD said the department will be providing free lunch to volunteers courtesy of MHSO.
Since driving under the influence of cannabis is prohibited in both states where it is legalized and those who still criminalize marijuana, OCPD informed participants that a free shuttle service would be offered to them at the end of their exercise, as well as after they had finished eating lunch.
It’s an excellent way for the Department to prepare the future generation of police officers in safety and responsibility.
MEDCAN24 contacted OCPD in order to estimate how many applications it had received prior to the closing of its application period, but a spokesperson was not available.
Maryland’s Governor, Wes Moore (D), has signed a bill that prohibits police from using the odor or possession of cannabis alone as a basis for executing arbitrary searches. Wes Moore’s (D) bill that prohibits the police from doing searches based on the mere smell of marijuana or the possession of it became law.
Earlier this year, local officials in Montgomery County—the state’s most populous county—said they were moving to loosen marijuana policies for would-be police officers in an effort to boost recruitment amid a staffing shortage.
The governor said recently that while he is proud of the fact that he won more votes in his election than the previous gubernatorial candidates in the state, “there was one thing that defeated me in 2022”: Marijuana Legalization.