Someone has a sense of humor, calling it a “joint project.” Via KQQQ:
The Pullman Police Department is staying in the forefront of law enforcement technology and research thanks to a new joint project with Washington State University. Researchers at WSU have received a 10,000 dollar state grant to determine how much THC from marijuana makes a person too impaired to drive. The money will be used to pay 6 Pullman Police Officers overtime to take part in the research.
The officers will conduct field sobriety tests, in a controlled environment, on individuals under the influence of marijuana. The subjects’ blood will be taken when they are evaluated by the officers. Police will then determine who was too high to drive and that will be compared to their THC level at the time. The data will then be compiled to figure out what THC level makes a person too high to drive, similar to the .08 blood alcohol level for drunk driving. The research project between WSU and the Pullman PD has to be wrapped up this Fall.
The results will then be sent to Washington state lawmakers to see if they want to set a new THC impaired driving level. These same WSU researchers are also developing a device to determine THC levels in the field similar to a breathalyzer for alcohol.