Connecticut Bill Would Let Police Pull Over Drivers for Consuming Cannabis; Study Blood THC Limits for DUI

The president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association is calling on state lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow police to pull over drivers who are consuming cannabis behind the wheel, CT Mirror reports. During testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, Meriden Chief of Police Rob Rosado said officers in the city frequently see individuals consuming cannabis while driving “but that could be the same for anywhere” in the state. 

The legislation would allow police to pull over drivers they see consuming cannabis while driving or if they smell the odor of burnt cannabis emitting from a vehicle, and would allow the person to be charged under the state’s drugged driving laws. The bill would also create a feasibility study for implementing a THC limit for drivers – akin to blood-alcohol levels used to determine drunk driving. The study would be required to be public by Feb. 1, 2026.  

In a letter supporting the bill, House Republicans called it “important” and “crafted to increase safety on … roadways by giving law enforcement officers additional tools to prevent and enforce cannabis-related driving under the influence in the state.” 

“While we believe that it would be better policy to repeal the current law that requires police officers to ignore their sense of smell and sight when it comes to marijuana related motor vehicle stops, allowing officers to stop or search a vehicle based on the smell of cannabis when there is also visual observation of cannabis consumption is a step in the right direction.” — Connecticut House Republicans, Testimony in Support of House Bill 7258, 3/31/25   

During the hearing, state Rep. Steven Stafstrom (D) contended that the legislation is not necessary because “there are so many other reasons the car can be pulled over.” 

“I think this notion that a car can’t be stopped when a cop quote-unquote knows someone is smoking cannabis,” he said, “I don’t buy it.” 

In written testimony, John R. DelBarba, assistant legal counsel for the Office of Chief Public Defender, argued against imposing the blood THC levels.

“Law enforcement has tried in some of the States mentioned in this section to improve upon this situation for drivers by measuring THC in blood. But even when you are measuring THC itself in the blood, which is psychoactive, it doesn’t necessarily tell you how long ago the person used it,” DelBarba wrote. “And the reason for that is THC is a very fat-soluble substance, and the THC comes out of the blood and gets stored and builds up in a person’s body fat. For people who use cannabis nearly every day (such as medical users), the level in their blood can be rather high. It can even sometimes be as high or higher after not smoking for more than a day than the level of an occasional user right after they smoked.” 

The bill remains in the committee.