PRESS RELEASE

April 20th (more commonly known as 4/20) has become synonymous with marijuana use and in  some circles, the date is a marijuana “holiday.” To help keep drug-impaired drivers off the roads,  the Hope Police Department is spreading the message that drug-impaired driving of any kind is  dangerous and illegal. HPD wants to remind all drivers: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. On April 18 – 20, 2023, Hope Police Department officers will be out in force looking for impaired drivers.

Like drunk driving, drug-impaired driving is illegal nationwide. According to NHTSA, between  2009 and 2018, of those drivers killed in crashes and tested for marijuana, the presence of  marijuana had nearly doubled. In 2018, 46 percent of drivers who were killed in crashes and were tested for drugs, tested positive. This is why it’s so important to spread this lifesaving message: If  You Feel Different, You Drive Different. It doesn’t matter what term is used: if a person is feeling a little high, buzzed, stoned, or wasted, he or she should not get behind the wheel. Think driving while high isn’t dangerous? It has been proven that drug-impaired driving can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.

It doesn’t matter what the day is; marijuana impairment is a threat when you’re behind the  wheel of a vehicle, we are asking our community members to obey the law and to make safe choices when behind the wheel of a vehicle.