Perris Addiction Treatment Centers

After California voters legalized recreational marijuana use in 2016 by voting for Proposition 64, individual counties and cities around the state began to decide how they wanted to regulate use of this substance.¹ Many have decided to keep marijuana illegal for now, while others are allowing personal cultivation and commercial sale, or both medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries side by side.

Perris, California, is one of the cities that is working to manage legal use of marijuana within its city limits. Other places in Riverside County are not allowing the drug, but Perris may use some of its new laws to discourage illicit drug trafficking, which has long been a scourge on California. Marijuana was often brought over the Mexico-California border with cocaine and heroin.²

However, greater marijuana availability may lead to higher levels of marijuana abuse, and more people breaking laws like driving while intoxicated (DWI). Detection and apprehension of stoned drivers is a more difficult task than catching drunk drivers. Marijuana metabolites remain in the blood for up to a month, and there is currently no breathalyzer test to detect use of marijuana. Police must use their best judgment regarding whether they suspect a suspect is drugged while driving. This may lead to a number of people under the influence of marijuana returning to the road after being stopped, which might translate into an increase in serious accidents in Riverside County.³

Making poor decisions while intoxicated, being intoxicated frequently, and suffering injuries from a car accident or other accident while high may all indicate that you need help because you struggle with marijuana abuse. Contact us today for help for marijuana abuse or with any substance abuse issue.

1. Ballotpedia. California Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization (2016).
2. The Press-Enterprise. (2018). Perris Poised to Designate Zones for Marijuana Manufacturing, Distribution Businesses.
3. Los Angeles Times. (2018). For Police, Catching Stoned Drivers Isn’t So Easy.