Sgt Schneider is one of only 19 certified drug recognition experts within the New York City Police Department who are able to evaluate whether a driver is impaired. While more than 14,000 of the department’s 36,000 officers have received some basic training since 2018, only 19 are certified drug recognition experts, according to an inspector.
Offenders caught drug driving in New York face fines of up to $1,000, (£800), a six-month driving ban and up to a year in jail.
While with alcohol there are universally accepted quantities for what constitutes a drink, there is no equivalent for cannabis, which makes it harder to measure how much you have consumed.
The 12-step evaluation for drug driving includes coordination tests, pupil examinations and taking the driver’s pulse and blood pressure.
Enforcement agencies have not yet incorporated technology such as portable consoles to test response times and cognitive skills.
“You lose the ability to multitask and that’s why it’s so dangerous for driving,” Sgt Schneider said.
Siul Soto, 18, who works at Top Shelf smoke shop in Queens, said: “For a lot of people now, being high is their natural state, so everyone is smoking and driving.”
