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Pot Patrol: Police warn public they're prepared for 4/20

"That's the national marijuana day, four-twenty, so we just want to get the word out to the public that drugged driving is impaired driving."

HOT SPRINGS, Ark (KTHV) - Even though the cannabis culture isn’t as far underground as in years past, police are getting set to crack down on driving while high ahead of April 20th - or 4/20, the secret code for marijuana smoking.

“If you smoke marijuana and get behind the wheel of a car and we catch you, we're going to take you to jail,” said Sgt. John Schroeder with the Garland Co. Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies from the department will be on the streets on 4/20 similar to how they approach New Year’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day. They will roll out to find people rolling high.

“That's the national marijuana day, four-twenty, so we just want to get the word out to the public that drugged driving is impaired driving,” Sgt. Schroeder said.

As marijuana has become legal in parts of the country, law enforcement officers have been training to figure out the difference between drugged and drunk. A group of Garland Co. deputies now has that special training.

“They’re A-Ride certified, which is advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement,” Sgt. Schroeder said. “It gives them another tool in their belt to detect impaired drivers who may be under the influence of something other than alcohol.”

And those specially trained deputies will be specializing in catching drugged drivers thanks to an infusion of grant money.

“We have deputies who are able to be paid overtime through that grant, and so they'll be coming outside of their regular shift hours,” he said.

With medical marijuana on the horizon in Arkansas, those numbers are going to go up, according to Schroeder. It may be happening already: 50 impaired driving arrests in Garland County just since receiving the grant, plus 125 D.U.I.’s through regular enforcement shifts.

“Of course with medical marijuana coming on the scene - it's not in effect yet, but we are going to see driving impaired go up,” he said.

Police are still waiting for a definitive field test like a Breathalyzer that they can use on traffic stops.

For now, they say they have the ability to take a person suspected of being impaired to jail to make to take the test that will prove it one way or the other.

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