Although it is possible to legally purchase and consume marijuana with a card, it is not legal to operate vehicles while under the influence of the drug.
According to the Boulder Police Department Police Blotter, two men, neither of whom are CU students, were arrested Monday evening for operating their vehicles under the influence of marijuana. The two incidents are separate.
Sarah Huntley, Boulder Police Department public information officer, said it is important to note that whether or not marijuana has been purchased and consumed legally, it is never legal to operate a vehicle while under the influence of drugs.
“You can become severely impaired and not able to [drive],” Huntley said.
Raghv Sharma, a 22-year-old Boulder man, was approached by an officer at around 5:55 p.m., Huntley said.
Huntley said officers had begun looking for his dark green Honda Civic after receiving a call at around 5:20 p.m. stating concern about the driver’s condition. Witnesses had observed Sharma drive into a median at 9th St. and Arapahoe Avenue and thought he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Sharma was arrested at 15th St. and Canyon Boulevard, according to the police blotter.
His vehicle was found parked outside a home, Huntley said. There was visible damage to the front end of his car. Sharma was in the home and an officer reported Sharma said he had smoked two bowls of marijuana during the day.
He had been returning home from a medical marijuana dispensary, according to the blotter.
After failing to pass voluntary roadside maneuvers, Sharma was arrested and charged with DUID, careless driving and not having a registration card inside his vehicle, Huntley said.
Sharma is scheduled for an arraignment at 9 a.m. April 14, said Catherine Olguin, administrative deputy for the Boulder County Court.
Benjamin Gennis, a 23-year-old Loveland man, was arrested in a separate incident at about 5:40 p.m., Huntley said. An officer had taken notice of the driver’s slow speed and pulled him over for an expired, temporary Colorado plate in his window.
He was driving northbound on Broadway Street near Spruce Street, Huntley said.
She said the officer reported Gennis’ eyes were bloodshot and watery and the odor of unburned marijuana was coming from his car.
Gennis told the officer he had smoked about two grams of marijuana, Huntley said. He requested the officer administer a breath test because he had not consumed alcohol. He was arrested after he did not pass voluntary roadside maneuvers and was charged with DUID.
It is believed Gennis had smoked marijuana with friends on the Hill. Huntley said this was his second DUID offense.
Olguin was not able to provide information concerning an arraignment for Gennis at this time.
Definitions and penalties of driving under the influence can be found at a law office or with the help of a lawyer.
Huntley said though both men were caught and arrested, the consequences had the potential to have been more severe.
“It is not okay to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when you are impaired,” Huntley said. “You could kill yourself or someone else.”
Contact CU Independent Deadline News Editor Sara Morrey at Sara.morrey@colorado.edu.
