Police officers throughout the United States are being trained as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) with methods which originated within the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The DRE methods were examined in a laboratory study at Johns Hopkins University and a field study in Los Angeles. Drug recognition was approximately 90% correct in both studies. Accuracy varied by drug class with stimulants correctly identified less often than other classes. A DRE may be unable to identify all drugs present in polydrug users. The methods allow arrest of impaired drivers who otherwise would be released.
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