Las Vegas police are preparing to detect and apprehend drivers under the influence of marijuana, as Southern Nevada expands legal consumption of the drug. Attorney John G. Watkins explains the new DUI marijuana laws.
In 2000, Jessica Williams drove a van that crossed a median on Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas. She struck six teenagers, killing them all. She told police she smoked marijuana about two hours before the crash and ingested ecstasy the night before. A jury later determined that Williams was not impaired but convicted her under an aspect of the law that forbids people from driving with a prohibited substance in her blood. She served 19 years in prison.
A federal judge vacated Williams’ convictions in June 2020, ruling that they were based in part on Williams having a marijuana metabolite in her system that was not specifically outlawed. Attorney John Watkins said she was prosecuted under a flawed law. He said it is still flawed to this day despite some recent changes.
Click here to read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal!