Now that recreational marijuana is legal in Michigan, police may be on extra alert to detect for drug-impaired driving. That means an elite group of officers who have received the highest level of drug-detection training may soon be in big demand.
In the state of Michigan, the most highly trained officers as it relates to detection of drug and alcohol impaired driving, are Drug Recognition Experts.
State Trooper Greg Primeau is a DRE. He says DRE’s receive intensive teaching that includes correctly identifying which drugs actual people under arrest have taken.
“The officers that are in the training will perform a 12-step evaluation on these arrested subjects. Their opinion has to be accurate as to what the urine sample says," says Primeau.
According to the Michigan State Police, DRE’s receive more than 110 hours of training to receive certification.