The police of Carol Stream, Illinois, are leading the way in the state with their second saliva pilot program before recreational marijuana sales start on January 1st.
There is no standardized roadside testing in place for marijuana impairment currently.
Carol Stream’s current pilot program involves drivers charged with driving under the influence of drugs who voluntarily agree to be tested at the police station with a device manufactured by a Texas company, Sgt. Brian Cluever said
The officers will take two swabs of saliva with one tested immediately with the device and the other saved for retesting. The cutoff detection is 40 nanograms of THC on the device.
The department will report results to the Illinois Department of Transportation, from which it obtained a grant, said Cluever.
Part of the goal is to determine the viability of roadside testing, including the amount of time it takes, Cluever explained.
“Ten minutes on the side of the road with vehicles going by 60 miles an hour can be a long time,” he said.
