Nevada Assembly OK’s marijuana DUI testing changes

The Nevada Assembly has approved a bill changing the rules for testing marijuana intoxication in DUI cases.

During the hearing on AB135, medical and lab experts and law enforcement all called for changes in the marijuana DUI laws, saying existing law doesn’t actually test for impairment or intoxication.

Assembly Judiciary Chairman Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said AB135 eliminates the urine test, which experts testified was wildly inaccurate in many cases.

He said it also requires labs test for not just marijuana metabolytes in general but the specific chemical compounds that actually indicate intoxication.

There was testimony including from two medical students who did a paper on the issue the compounds labs have been testing for don’t actually indicate intoxication, just the individual is a regular user of marijuana.

Graham Lambert and Charles Collison of Tuoro University, who did the study, said the psycho-active compounds in marijuana are Delta-9-THC and 11-OH-THC.

Dan McDonald of the Washoe Crime Lab said he has been arguing for years metabolytes don’t indicate impairment. Eric Bauman of the Metro vehicular testing unit said they too support removal of the urine test and blood testing for the compounds that actually indicate intoxication.

The Assembly voted 34-4 to approve the bill that now goes to the Senate.