The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has received a grant of nearly $160,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to improve drug-impaired driving testing and training. The funding will be used by the OC Crime Lab to ensure that all blood samples collected during DUI investigations are tested for drugs, regardless of blood alcohol concentration.
Don Barnes, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner, commented on the situation: “We continue to see the impacts of legalization of marijuana and the increase of opioid abuse in our community, including on our roadways. Enhanced testing and training provided by this grant helps us hold accountable those who endanger our community by choosing to drive impaired.”
Data collected by the Orange County Crime Laboratory indicates that more than half of drivers arrested for DUI in Orange County have at least one impairing drug in their system other than alcohol. Both illicit drugs and certain prescription or over-the-counter medications can cause impairment, especially when combined with even small amounts of alcohol.
Stephanie Dougherty, Director of OTS, said: “Drug-impaired driving is a significant concern in California. Effective drug testing helps with understanding the scope of the problem and assists in the prosecution of people who put lives at risk by driving impaired.”
The Sheriff’s Department emphasized that while alcohol is still the leading cause in DUI crashes, impairment can also result from prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, cannabis products, or a combination with alcohol.
