Fox 26 News reports that a driver believed to be high on marijuana was involved in a deadly accident.
Last Monday night, 20-year-old Xavier Olivares was killed by a driver believed to be intoxicated by marijuana.
Olivares had been driving eastbound on Highway 180 and was just west of Highway 41 when he hit the center divider. His car came to a stop between the fast lane and the center lane of the highway.
His car would no longer start, so he exited the vehicle to see what went wrong.
23-year-old Andrea Zapien hit not only Olivares but collided with his vehicle as well. She was arrested once officers suspected that she was under the influence of marijuana.
According to the California Highway Patrol, each weekend, officers make between five and twenty DUI arrests. They say that many of those drivers are high on drugs.
When checking for drug intoxication, police will check for dilated pupils, raised pulse, raised blood pressure, and if necessary, perform a blood test.
With a number of states, including California, legalizing marijuana, some groups have gotten together to come up with a standard sobriety test to determine drug intoxication. The test employs a drug recognition expert (DRE) to determine three things: if a suspect is impaired, if the impairment is due to drugs or a medical condition, and if the impairment is due to drugs, which category of drugs.
After a breathalyzer test and interviewing the officer who made contact, the DRE will interview the suspect about their diet and health as well as prescribed medication. They will also take the suspect’s pulse. The DRE officer will perform an eye examination as well as a divided attention psychophysical test.
