Plume of pot smoke tips off cop at RIDE checkpoint

A Hamilton man was arrested Monday after rolling down his window at a police stop and a huge plume of pot smoke billowed out of the car, police say.

Officers were conducting a RIDE checkpoint just after 10 p.m. when they stopped the car. When the driver rolled down his window, a "large puff of white smoke from a freshly smoked marijuana cigarette escaped."

The 19-year-old driver "showed signs of impairment," police say, so the officer administered what they call a "drug recognition evaluation" a combination "motor skills and physiological responses" test that has the person do things like walk a straight line and count their steps.

"We have them touch their nose, stand on one foot we also test pulse rate, look at their eyes, things like that," said police Const. Claus Wagner.

The driver passed the test, so he couldn't be couldn't be charged with impaired driving, police say.

"Even though there was some fresh marijuana smoke in the car, he wasn't impaired," Wagner said.

The 19-year-old was, however, charged with marijuana possession.