California Bill Aims to Limit Use of Roadside Drug Testing Kits

A California bill proposed in January could limit the use of color-based drug test kits used during traffic stops as critics argue the tests are often inaccurate and can result in wrongful convictions. “With accurate, scientific alternatives available, there is no reason to rely on junk colorimetric tests to make arrests when a suspicious substance is discovered in the field,” said San Francisco-based Sen. Scott Wiener in a Jan. 9 press release. Senate Bill 912, the Requiring Objective and Accurate Drug Testing (ROAD Testing) Act, would not prohibit the use of such tests but would prevent them from being used as the basis of an arrest without additional evidence....