N.J. can use ‘drug recognition experts’ to determine if you’re high, judge says

In a report expected to have a big impact on how New Jersey determines who is high on the job as well as a legal challenge to state rules on impaired driving, a court-appointed special master has concluded the testimony of so-called Drug Recognition Experts can be admitted as reliable evidence in such cases. Appellate Judge Joseph Lisa said the testimony of the experts — called DREs — is not only reliable but also complies with recognized medical and toxicology procedures. “I conclude ... that DRE testimony is reliable,” Lisa wrote in the long-awaited 332-page report released Thursday. “The re...