Driving High? Kiss Your License Goodbye!

Northwest Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol is participating in a six-state Drug Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign that started Friday (April 20th) and runs through Sunday.

Like drunk driving, drugged driving is impaired driving, which means it’s illegal in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. Whether the drug is obtained legally or  illegally, driving while drug-impaired poses a threat to the driver, vehicle passengers and others on the road.

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Vince Kurts explains the significance of the 4/20 starting date for the “Driving High? Kiss Your License Goodbye!” campaign.

Kurtz says people often don’t think about impairment caused by illegal drugs.

He says troopers are seeing an increase in the number of people smoking marijuana, then climbing behind the wheel.

Trooper Kurtz says the effects of alcohol and drugs on your ability to drive are the same.

Kurtz reminds drivers that it’s NEVER safe to drive when impaired. This not only means refraining from drunk driving, but also from drug-impaired driving. He says if you think driving high won’t affect you, you’re wrong; it’s been proven that THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, slows reaction times, impaired cognitive performance and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lanes.

The “Driving High? Kiss Your License Goodbye!” Campaign began on Friday, 4/20 and will run through this Sunday, 4/22, and involves participating law enforcement agencies from Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

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