Colorado Marijuana Citations

Mr. Anderson:

The Division of Criminal Justice received your request for data relating to
marijuana citations.

DCJ is in the early stages of collecting data on certain aspects of the
marijuana phenomenon in Colorado--both the medical and recreational
aspects. So far, DCI has not compiled anything yet in this work. And
because the work remains in the earliest stages, it could be a while before
anything becomes available. The research director is not sure when any data
will become available.

Feel free to check back with me whenever you wish, and I will get you an
update on the status of the DCJ work.
--

Lance C. Clem
Executive Director's Office
Public Information Officer
Colorado Department of Public Safety
700 Kipling St.
Denver, CO 80215
303-239-4415 (desk) or 303-842-9344 (cell)

Evan,

The only change in the availability of statistics regarding marijuana in
Colorado is that the Colorado State Patrol compiled some statistics on DUI
and DUID citations issued during 2014. The Patrol began collecting
marijuana-specific information on these statistics only in 2014, which
means there are no comparable statistics from prior years on which to make
a comparison. Another important caveat I must mention is that the
statistics only cover State Patrol citations, not those issued by other law
enforcement agencies.

Let me know if that is of interest to you, and I can send you the news
release issued by the Colorado State Patrol a few weeks ago.

I have not yet seen any arrest data from any agency, but that means that I
haven't seen them. If they exist, they would have to be obtained from
individual local law enforcement agencies.

--Lance
--

Lance C. Clem
Executive Director's Office
Public Information Officer
Colorado Department of Public Safety
700 Kipling St.
Denver, CO 80215
303-239-4415 (desk) or 303-842-9344 (cell)

Attn.: Evan Anderson

Evan,

Here is the release issued by the Colorado State Patrol that I mentioned in
my earlier message to you.

--Lance
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: CDPS Press Releases <press.release@cdps-m.state.co.us>
Date: Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 4:54 PM
Subject: [Press.Release] 2014 CSP Marijuana Data
To: press.release@cdps-m.state.co.us

*Colorado State Patrol* *Press Release*

www.coloradostatepatrol.com

*Sergeant Rob Madden*

*Public Information Officer*

*303-239-4583* <303-239-4583>

*Rob.Madden@state.co.us* <Rob.Madden@state.co.us>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: 01/23/15
Time: 5 P.M.

In 2014, the Colorado State Patrol saw a new era of impaired driving enter
into our state. In an attempt to document the trends, Colonel Scott
Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol ordered the specific tracking
of marijuana related citations. A summary of the 2014 DUI/DUID data is as
follows.

· - 5,546 citations were issued for DUI/DUID driving actions.

· -354 citations were issued for DUID driving actions where
marijuana was the only indicator.

· -674 citations were issued for DUI/DUID driving actions were
marijuana was one of the indicators.

· -The 12 month average for citations related to marijuana was
12.2% of the total DUI/DUID citations.

· -January, April, and December were the three highest months for
citations involving marijuana usage as a percentage of the overall DUI/DUID
citations issued.

· -75% of the 2014 DUI/DUID citations issued were the result of
proactive motorist contacts.

When asked about the 2014 data Colonel Hernandez said, “The efforts made in
2014 highlight the Colorado State Patrol’s commitment to the citizens of
Colorado to make the safe travel along all roads a priority. I am proud of
these efforts and will continue to work with our troopers to ensure the
safety of all citizens and visitors of our wonderful state.” To date, the
CSP has over 540 Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE)
trained troopers and 61 Drug Recognition Experts (DRE).

"Clearly this arrest data underscores the need for CDOT's Drive High, Get a
DUI campaign in 2015," says Amy Ford, CDOT spokesperson. A ​CDOT study
last year found that 43% of marijuana consumers in Colorado said it was
okay to drive high. After our education campaign, a ​new ​CDOT ​study
showed that 21% of recreational marijuana consumers ​still didn’t know you
can get a DUI and 57% of those who used marijuana drove within 2 hours
after consuming it. “We won't be satisfied until everyone in Colorado takes
driving high seriously so the need for awareness and education is
paramount," says Ford.

As the Colorado State Patrol enters 2015, we are encouraged by the efforts
made throughout the state by every law enforcement officer to reduce the
number of impaired drivers making the decision to drive on Colorado
roadways. In 2015, the Colorado State Patrol will continue to collect data
and investigate trends that will enable our agency to better adapt to the
rapidly changing impaired driving attitude in Colorado.

###

Date of Incident:

1/23/15

Draft Release

Initial Release x

Case Report Number:

Public Release

x

Update or Follow-Up Release

--
*Trooper Josh K. Lewis*
CSP Public Affairs
700 Kipling St.
Lakewood CO 80215
303-239-4583
Joshua.Lewis@state.co.us
CSP on Facebook <http://facebook.com/Coloradostatepatrol> - CSP on the Web
<http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/StatePatrol-Main/CBON/1251592908196>
- CSP on Twitter <http://twitter.com/CSP_News>

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--

Lance C. Clem
Public Information Officer
Colorado Department of Public Safety
Executive Director's Office
700 Kipling St.
Denver, CO 80215
303-239-4415 (desk) or 303-842-9344 (cell)