Baker unveils new legislation aimed at drugged drivers

BOSTON — Governor Charlie Baker has unveiled new legislation taking aim at drugged drivers as more recreational marijuana shops open for business.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts has unleashed concerns about drugged driving and how to fight it. There is no accepted test to determine a drivers level of marijuana impairment like there is for alcohol.

>> PREVIOUS: Cannabis Control Commission works on guidance to detect, punish impaired drivers

But new legislation proposes a six-month drivers license suspension of a suspected stoned driver who refuses a police request to take a biological test.

Gov. Baker believes it's a tool police need to keep the roads safe.

"There's a lot of evidence and plenty of data to support that after years and years of seeing a regular and continued decline in traffic accidents, those numbers have leveled off and in some cases and in some areas actually, go up," he said.

>> Special commission presents findings on impaired driving in Mass.

The ACLU opposes the measure, saying it could ensnare innocent people because biological tests measure past marijuana use, not current impairment.

The bill also calls for increased police training.

"The legalization of limited amounts of marijuana in certain circumstances did not legalize the operation of motor vehicles while under the influence of marijuana or its active components," said Mass. State Police Lt. Col. Christopher Mason.

To pass, the bill will need to pass both the House and Senate. Hearings are expected in the coming weeks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE: Recreational marijuana coverage from Boston 25 News

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