The Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office projected an increase in marijuana-related DWI arrests with the implementation of Amendment 3 later this week.
The voter-approved legalization of recreational marijuana via Amendment 3 goes into effect statewide on Thursday, Dec. 8 and decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Recreational marijuana will not be available for legal purchase until early next year.
During the prosecutor’s annual report of cases filed, presented Monday, Dec. 5, first assistant prosecutor Mark Gibson told Commissioners their office had filed more than 700 felony charges and more than 12,000 misdemeanors as of early November. He noted a marked increase over last year in the filing of DWI cases, an increase of nearly half, with 316 cases filed in 2019, pre-COVID, to 619 in 2022.
“Given the passage of Amendment No. 3, which goes into effect this Thursday, we also anticipate an increase in people driving high on marijuana,” Gibson said.
He said Colorado, where recreational marijuana was legalized in 2014, one in four DWI fatalities involve marijuana. About half of all DWI cases involve marijuana.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office now has two deputies trained to identify those high on marijuana, Gibson said.