Michigan Marijuana DUI Defense — DRE Officers and Bad Science

Charged with marijuana OWI in Michigan? This 50-minute breakdown shows why DRE officer testimony and field sobriety tests qualify as junk science and often fail real scientific scrutiny under MRE 702. Michigan attorney William J. Maze of Maze Legal PLC walks through the science, the case law, and the methodology that police rely on when they accuse Michigan drivers of operating while impaired by marijuana — and explains why so much of it does not hold up under Daubert, MRE 702, or MRE 703. What this presentation covers: Michigan's marijuana driving statutes — MMMA, MRTMA, and MCL 257.625(8) People v Bowden, 344 Mich App 171 (2022) — the Court of Appeals decision rejecting DRE testimony People v Armstrong (April 2025) — odor of marijuana alone no longer establishes probable cause The 2021 National Institute of Justice study on field sobriety tests and THC The JAMA Psychiatry randomized clinical trial by Dr. Thomas Marcotte Methodological failures in the Bigelow, Compton, and Adler DRE validation studies Why HGN, VGN, lack of convergence, modified Romberg, and finger-to-nose tests cannot reliably detect marijuana impairment How DRE protocol relies on circular reasoning to manufacture conclusions If you have been arrested for marijuana OWI, OUID, or operating with the presence of a controlled substance in Michigan, this is the science your defense attorney needs to know. Call Maze Legal PLC: (734) 941-8800 https://www.michigan-drunk-driving.com Offices in Romulus, Livonia, and Detroit About William J. Maze: Michigan criminal defense attorney, court-qualified expert witness in standardized field sobriety testing and breath testing instruments (DataMaster and Intoxilyzer 9000), past president of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, and former adjunct professor of forensic science at Madonna University. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction — Marijuana, Traffic Cases, and the post-Bowden Era 1:51 Michigan's Marijuana Driving Laws — MMMA, MRTMA, MCL 257.625(8) 4:46 Odor of Marijuana After People v Armstrong 7:23 People v Bowden — The Court of Appeals Rejects DRE Testimony 9:45 The "Drug Whisperer" — Sober Drivers Arrested in Atlanta 11:20 When Police Science Replaces Real Forensic Science 12:49 HGN, Walk and Turn, and One-Leg Stand Were Built for Alcohol 14:36 The 2021 NIJ Study — Field Sobriety Tests and Cannabis 16:32 Dr. Greg Kane on the Bigelow, Compton, and Adler DRE Studies 17:26 The Shinar Study and the Real Source of DRE "Accuracy" 19:25 ARIDE — Why Two-Day Officers Cannot Diagnose Drug Impairment 22:02 DRE Training: 112 Hours vs. a Cosmetology License 23:47 MRE 702 and MRE 703 — Comparing DREs to Real Forensic Experts 25:25 The 1970s LAPD Origin Story and the CSI Effect 28:24 HGN and VGN — Why Eye Tests Cannot Detect Marijuana 33:04 Lack of Convergence and the "J-Hook" Problem 36:13 The Green Tongue Myth and Finger-to-Nose Failures 38:16 The Modified Romberg Test Has Never Been Admitted Under Daubert 40:25 The JAMA Psychiatry Marcotte Study — Sober People Fail Too 47:30 Circular Reasoning in Drug-Impaired Driving Investigations 49:40 Closing — How to Defend a Michigan Marijuana OWI Charge #MichiganOWI #MarijuanaDUI #DREDefense #PeopleVBowden #MichiganDUILawyer #DrugRecognitionExpert