The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arrested two drivers for driving under the influence of drugs (cannabis) while conducting a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint in West Hollywood last night. Another driver was cited and arrested for operating a vehicle with a suspended/revoked license, and one vehicle was towed. The checkpoint was on Fairfax Avenue, south of Santa Monica Boulevard between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.
DUI checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Last year the Sheriff’s Department investigated 395 DUI collisions that killed 21 people and injured 590 others.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be approximately $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time.
With the passage of Prop 64 and the legalization of retail sales of recreational cannabis, the Sheriff’s Department has begun to remind drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, can impair and result in a DUI. Cannabis can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.
The Sheriff’s Department will be conducting other DUI/driver’s license checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols throughout the year to take suspected impaired drivers off streets and highways and lower the risk for deaths and injuries.
I have concluded for myself after watching this film https://allatra.tv/en/video/game-of-professionals-what-is-consciousness-film-1 that marijuana has the same effect on a person as alcohol. But the decision to use poison or not is of course the person’s choice, as well as the decision to live or die.
Just 2? When i drive home from work there are dozens of people openly smoking weed and driving erratically each night. Not hard to miss with the smell. The bigger question is why are the sheriffs missing so much.
I’d never heard of anyone ever being arrested for driving under the influence of cannabis until after it became legal. Curious…..
Exactly
I’d never heard of anyone being arrested for driving under the influence of cannabis until after it became legal. Hmmm….
How about the Sheriff’s Department start ticketing all the TEXTING drivers who are not even looking at the road or the pedestrians? I walk my dog 3 times a day on Santa Monica and side streets and I see 20-50 people texting while driving on every walk I take. How many times I have almost been hit is remarkable. Also one of the reasons there is so much backed up traffic is people texting after traffic starts moving and it causes a ripple effect. All it takes if one city official or sheriff to walk down the Blvd and watch… Read more »
It’s all smoke and mirrors. If they want to catch drunk drivers, do the checkpoints on la cienega and sunset. Start at 11pm, not 6pm. The checkpoint is usually done by 11 anyway and to say it last till 2 might just may be in reference to the cops’ overtime. I think they should put a camera at the stop signs on Norton. Mail people a ticket for blowing the stop sign. I also can’t believe how many souped up race cars fly through West Hollywood and virtually get away with driving like Psychopathic maniacs. What do you say to… Read more »
The non-checkpoint sheriffs are usually around after the bars close, aren’t they? My first and last ticket – in the 80s.
Cameras are OUTLAWED in all of LA County.
Joshua88 – you are mistaken about cameras. They are entirely legal, however Councilmember D’Amico vociferously objects to their use. The presentation to the Public Safety Commission about using cameras to enforce “red light” violations a couple of years back was compelling, yet D’Amico has made up his mind and does not want to be confused by evidence. Council authorized their use at certain intersections, and the parameters include such things as “we won’t enforce if someone turns right on a red light at less than 18 mph”… (for reference, that’s nearly 2 car lengths PER SECOND, hardly enough time for… Read more »
Tip of the iceberg, and the ship is sailing right for it.
Exactly. Now all the illegal and otherwise mindless behavior has been determined Legal. As if there had been no other choice than legalizing Medical Marijuana that ostensibly led the charge. “Never find a cure for your affliction, just find a new addiction”. There are icebergs everywhere that take our attention away from important issues and clog the legal and court system.
Hahaha