Police officers watched as a group of people smoked joints and inhaled cannabis through pipes Thursday night. The officers paid up to $60 to the users for their drugs.
This was not a crime scene. Instead, the officers and volunteers who had a medical marijuana card, joined together to learn how the drug affects users as they drive, walk and respond to questions.
It was a training experience for the police, and it was a chance for users to recognize when they become impaired.
Mazin Abdelmoniem of Clarksburg heated up and then inhaled his THC concentrate that was ice cream cake flavor. Orange Grove was the flavor of choice for Brian, of Frederick, who inhaled through his bong. Cat Szafran of Frederick, who was wearing a Tshirt that read “Cannabis is Medical,” smoked a joint.
When the participants first arrived at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy, they had their blood pressure checked and saliva tested for drugs. They then went outside, into a tented area, and consumed cannabis that they had brought with them.
Police officers wrote down what their volunteer was using and in what quantity. Thirty minutes later, the volunteers went into classrooms to perform field sobriety tests, including walking a straight line, holding one foot up and following a pen with their eyes.
The whole exercise was repeated 30 minutes later. The second time, the volunteers used their drugs and then had dinner.
This is the 10th time county police officers have held a cannabis lab since 2018.
