Drug czar takes aim at drugged driving

Gary Thompson remembers Aug. 9, 2002, all too well.

His wife, Sandy, a Las Vegas Sun newspaper executive, was idling in her car at a traffic light at 7:30 a.m. when she was struck and killed by a 21-year-old driver.

Authorities later discovered the suspect had smoked marijuana shortly before driving.

"He never even touched the brakes," Thompson said.

Rising concerns nationally over "drugged driving" was the reason the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, made an appearance Wednesday at the Nevada Highway Patrol offices in Las Vegas.

Kerlikowske referenced a 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey, released this year, that found the number of drivers operating under the influence had dropped significantly since 1973.

But the survey, the first to measure the prevalence of drugged drivers, found that more than 16 percent of weekend drivers who were sampled after 10 p.m. tested positive for illicit drugs -- five times as many as those under the influence of alcohol.

"We've heard from judges, emergency room doctors, all telling us these (cases) were going up," Kerlikowske said. "But for the first time, we have solid proof."

The percentage of weekend nighttime drivers with blood alcohol levels of 0.08 or greater was 7.5 percent in 1973 and 2.2 percent in 2007.

Although pleased with the improvement in alcohol-related cases, Kerlikowske said drugged driving is a huge concern.

"We have to devote the same resources we've devoted to DUI education to drugged driving," he said.

Sandy Heverly, executive director of STOP DUI, said drugged driving has been a problem for a long time but noticed only recently because drug detection efforts have improved.

She said STOP DUI will emphasize the dangers of drugged driving in schools, prisons and wherever else the group is allowed to show that drugs -- even marijuana -- pose a threat to motorists.

"Marijuana is not safe and should not be legalized," Heverly said. "The societal hurt is way too large to allow it."

She won't be the only one fighting.

Director of Nevada Department of Public Safety Jerry Hafen said the number of officers with drug recognition expert certification has increased from about 80 in 2006 to 247 this year.

The officers are specially trained to evaluate drivers who may be under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs, Hafen said.

"That's a huge increase," he said. "And it's difficult to get and keep this certification."

Thompson and several other families of victims became emotional during parts of the presentation.

Dealing with loss, especially preventable loss, takes a toll on a person, Thompson said.

"I don't want anyone to have to go through what my family went through."

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.