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Mass. police turn to 12-step program to spot stoned drivers

Massachusetts police are turning to a 12-step program to spot anyone who may be driving while high.

The Sun Chronicle reports the training course, known as the Drug Recognition Expert Program (DRE), teaches officers to identify the signs of drugged driving. The paper reports that 63 police departments in Massachusetts are undergoing extensive training on the program.

The first step is to make sure the driver's impairment isn't because of a medical issue.

After that, the DRE runs the driver through a series of tests to look for impairment and figure out what kind of drugs the driver was using.

The DRE test is still new in Massachusetts, but it has been upheld as admissible evidence in courts in California, Colorado and several other states.

12 STEPS OF THE DRE (click here for a more in-depth look):
  1. The breath alcohol test
  2. The interview with the arresting officer
  3. The preliminary examination
  4. Examination of the eyes
  5. Divided attention psychophysical tests
  6. Examination of vital signs
  7. Dark room examinations
  8. Examination for muscle tone
  9. Examination for injection sites
  10. Suspect's statements and other observations
  11. Opinions of the evaluator
  12. The toxicological examination

Cox Media Group

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