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Select law enforcement officers in Minnesota will soon have a new tool in their arsenal to catch cannabis-impaired drivers: a saliva-based roadside test.
As required under the state’s new recreational marijuana law, Minnesota is launching a pilot project to gauge if different oral fluid testing tools can accurately detect drug use. The state is expected to roll out two different testing instruments next month that certified drug recognition experts will administer over the next year.
“These are by far and away the most commonly used [testing] units across the country,” said Mike Hanson, director of Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety. “I would expect that by this time next month, the units will be in the field and will be in use.”
Law enforcement in some other states where marijuana is legal have used these roadside tests to help establish probable cause, similar to a preliminary breathalyzer screening for alcohol.
Minnesota officers could do the same in the future, but test results taken during the pilot period may not be used as cause for arrest or as evidence in court, according to the law.
The roadside tests being piloted are intended only for “the purpose of analyzing the practicality, accuracy, and efficacy of the instrument,” according to the statute. Their results will be compared to laboratory blood testing.
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