State Police: Drivers arrested in Suffolk 420 checkpoints

On the day marijuana smokers around the country and the world gathered to celebrate weed culture, several police departments on Long Island were out looking for impaired drivers throughout Suffolk County.

The increased patrols came on April 20, the annual day when cannabis enthusiasts light up.

Law enforcers from nine agencies did not find drivers suspected of being stoned on Saturday, commonly known as 420, but they did find people who illegally possessed marijuana, according to a news release from the State Police on Monday.

At stationary and moving checkpoints, the police made 17 arrests for unlawful possession of marijuana and eight arrests for driving while intoxicated, State Police said. And more than 40 tickets were issued to drivers for various traffic infractions.

“The efforts of all the officers helped in the effort of ensuring highway [safety] and to help raise public awareness that operating a vehicle under the influence of marijuana can have the same tragic consequences as alcohol or other drugs,” New York State Police Major David Candelaria said in the release.

Nassau County’s legislature unanimously voted Monday to opt out of the sale of recreational marijuana should the state legalize the program. Last month, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Suffolk would also opt out, but the legislation would include a provision to legalize marijuana sales after one year.