Farmington police preparing officers as recreational cannabis retail sales approach

• Both San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari and Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe believed public safety was at risk with a possible increase in DWIs as people could legally possess cannabis on June 29, 2021.
• Farmington Deputy Police Chief Taft Tracy told The Daily Times the law enforcement agency did not see an increase in DWI numbers in the last half of 2021.
• The agency has started preparing for recreational sales by training about 45 percent of its patrol division in advanced roadside impaired driving impairment, Tracy said.

FARMINGTON — The Farmington Police Department has not seen much of an increase in cannabis-related DWIs after adults were allowed to legally possess the controlled substance during the summer of 2021.

The agency has been preparing for when recreational cannabis retail sales begin this year and people will have easier access to cannabis products.

Area law enforcement in Spring 2020 started to raise concerns about The Cannabis Regulation Act, which was signed on April 12 last year by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Both San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari and Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe believed public safety was at risk with a possible increase in DWIs as people could legally possess cannabis on June 29, 2021, and purchase it no later than April 1 of this year.

Farmington Deputy Police Chief Taft Tracy told The Daily Times the law enforcement agency did not see an increase in DWI numbers in the last half of 2021. 

He did state that the DWI numbers for 2020 and 2021 are unique as the COVID-19 pandemic led officers to decrease traffic enforcement efforts in 2020, in an effort to keep officers safe and decrease the spread of the coronavirus.

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It wasn’t until April and May of 2021 that Farmington police allowed officers to approach a vehicle without wearing a mask, with Tracy adding the mask was a barrier that benefited the potential offender.

“I’m not hearing a lot of an increase, per se, in the DWIs or DUIs for marijuana,” Tracy said.

Tracy also said Farmington police don’t know what the impact will be locally when recreational cannabis retail sales start.

The agency has started preparing for recreational sales by training about 50 percent of its patrol division in advanced roadside impaired driving detection, Tracy said.

Tracy described the training as a level above the standardized field sobriety testing (SFST) training and a notch below the drug recognition expert training.

The training addresses a concern raised in Spring 2020 that there are no THC intoxication standards similar to how blood alcohol content is used for DWI/DUI arrests involving alcohol.

“Now I’m basing everything on just roadside (field sobriety tests),” Tracy said. “My observations when they were driving, what’s my observations when I made contact with the driver and what observations were made when I had them perform specific tests.”

An officer can request a drug recognition expert to perform additional field tests to identify what specific types of drugs a person might be under. Tracy added those additional tests are performed voluntarily and a driver can decline the additional tests.

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Overall, the start of recreational cannabis retail sales will likely lead to more work for officers when conducting a traffic stop.

“Officers are going to have to really push their investigation skills,” Tracy said. 

Going forth, the agency is also looking at educating the public of the dangers of consuming cannabis and driving while impaired by the drug.

“That's something that people need to be really aware of,” Tracy said. “If you consume, don't drive. It doesn't matter how you do it. Whether you ate it or drank or smoked it. If you consume, don't drive.”

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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