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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont lawmakers are considering allowing police to use a saliva test to check for the presence in a person's body of marijuana and other drugs.
But critics are calling the House-passed plan "Reefer Madness II," saying there isn't sufficient scientific backing to use results from the tests to measure impairment behind the wheel.
Critics point to a report from a lab that tested saliva samples taken during a Vermont pilot project. The lab said the test results appeared reliable. But it cautioned that there was no specific cutoff at which someone could be said to be impaired, as there is with the 0.08 blood-alcohol standard for alcohol.
Two key senators say they're likely isn't time left to pass the saliva testing measure this year. But it's widely expected to be back next year.
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