remember the way we used to do things? hey man... like connect with friends? dig it! or get in shape? or sell a house and pay a real estate agent a big commission. [crash] at redfin, we charge you a 1% listing fee. and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site our agents get more eyes on your home so you sell for thousands more than the one next door. don't get stuck in the past. sell with a redfin agent.

right a special edition of news4 this week,ocused on weed. we'll take a look at the high stakes debate over legal m marijua marijuana, including if driving after using it is safe. plus, does it woe? th science may be limited but that's not stopping people from lighting up. and pot party, the loophole in d.c.'s maat wanna law c a puff up business. we'll show you how police are stepping . announcer: welcome to news4 this week. >> hello, everyone. recently news4 featured a series of stories on a high stakes betting industry, we called it weed week. we want yo give a second fook at some of those stories over the next h hour. we start with an investigation

by the news4 eye team, showing many drivers are getting impaired behind the wheel. we sw you how police are doacking wn. >> dui seven. >> the news4 eye team is on patrol with maryland police, looking for drivers who might be impaired. >> we are looking for violations indicative of impairment. we look for weaving pattern. >> reporter: when this car blazes by us at nearly 120 miles per hour, a trooper pulls t driver and conducts a field sobriety test. she says she had several drinks before getting behind the wheel. officers tell team alcohol isn't the only thing they're checking for these days. as states nationwide includingy locaook to decriminalize

marijuana, police in maryland are finding for drivers testing eir luck ant high-way. crashes up. traffic violations up about 40%. virginia and d.c. told eye'team they d keep a record of arrests. overall it's increased notably. >> it bname legal d.c. so it's much easier to get my hands on it. >> reporter: this m who we'll call andrew says he regularly drives afterr while using mar wh wanna. you're aboutdro go for a e. you feel comfortable using marijuana. >> yeah, notery much. >> reporter: he uses a vape device to take the edg off before hitting d.c. traffic. he says he knows his limit. does it impact y how drive behind the wheel? >> i don't think it does. i feel like it makes m more

attentive to what' going on around me and driving safer and slower. i would rathe do tha than take a xanax. >> reporter: not everyone agrees it's safer. police in colorado say they have seen an increase in people driving high and an increase in deaths. >> the city of aurora we saw about a 74% increase in fatal crashes between 2013 and now. marijuana has been af part that. >> i have seen impairment and what it epdoes. >>ter: mary gaston had just said good-bye toer son when the unthinkable happened. >> a few secondse after left i heard an impact. it was very loud. y heard it and i knew instantly. it was a ver traumatic -- it was a very -- it was a very horrific death. >> reporter: the driver whoit blake had thc in his bloodstream. he served three years in prison. >> in my view there's a

perception that marijuana does not ouimpairike alcohol does. that's not you are impaired. >> repter: currently there's no roadsidee test l a breathalyzer to test for thc, the ingredient that get you high. back on maryland's highways, troopers have been trained to detect marijuana sblns. >> glossdshot eyes, drooping of the weyelids, s exaggerated vements. >> reporter: unlike alcohol, there's no legally impaired limit. troopers say they see people behindhe wheel at night and in the morning too. keeping them busy4 hours a day looking for drivers operating a high speed. >> there's also aowrg debate over the healing power of pot. marijuana is legal in 30 states

but there's no proof it works for a variety of symptoms and don't tell that to the people who rely on the drug, including a former miss maryland world winner. >> it really is the miracug >> reporter: this local beauty queen is turning her pain into a platform to promote medical marijuana. >> it can help with almost anything -- cancer, seizurseizu >> reporter: she was suffering with chronic aches,ty anx and fatigue. >> i have osteoporosis. i have a tumor and age l on my temporal lobe. >> reporter: she was taking ten pills a day and getting little relief. she turned to medicinal oils. >> i felt like i had to try it.

all these pills weren't working. >>eporter: dugger is a believer, too. he's a board certified an steezologyist who left his job in traditional medicine to help people get access to medical marijuana. >> i felt i was part of the problem prescribingop ioids. you see patients become addicted and drug seeking and their whole life revolved around getting their pills. >> reporter: 71 dispensaries are open in myland now and five in d.c. with more coming soon. arijuana in virginia is not legal, but dispensaries selling cbd oils are set to open next year. as business grows the science has been slow to catch . dr. hogan is the director at the

medical center. hopefully s, which with time and research we'll be able to figure out, but potentially, it's there. >> reporter: last year, the food and druat adminisn aproved to first and only drug drived from marijuana to treat two forms of epilepsy and reduce seizures. >> there's a lot of medications that are off label, meaning we use them forther indications because there's a benefit. >> reporter: the studies may be limited but for cheyenne and countless otherst not hype. it's the first step towards healing. >> i have seen what the benefits are so i fl inclined to advocate for it and be a voice for others too scared to come forward and share their experience. when we come back, the growg -- how pot parties are

growg -- how pot parties are exploring a loophole z35k8z z16fz

y35k8y y16fy

it is a betting industry of something called cbd oils. cbd is an extract from a cannabis plant, be you the compound doesn't get you high. a lotpl of praise its health benefits and some are even using it to treat their pets for things like arthritis, seizures and cancer. reaction from a pet owner now who has seen the reaction. >> i wouldn't give her anything else. she's eating, playing, she sleepswe . >> it can also be used to treat anxiety in dogs and cats but it's an unregulated industry. that means the products are not tested by the food and drug st admition. if you're considering using it to treat your pets it's important to talk with our veterinarian about it. when we come back it can need for weed. while some say marijuana is the

cure, some say they can't quit the habit. a look at the growing costs of a look at the growing costs of marijuana department s a look at the growing costs of marijuana department s now that kate and joe have been sleeping on an ikea mattress, joe's suddenly into making everyone's morning easier. i made you breakfast. i also made the kids lunch and i made myself a mixtape. and it's good. oh! be the morning person you're not. the butter.

do ho ron make sure he's on time to face brock the sadistic strength trainer? his ikea dresser helps him organize his... equipment? woo!

be the morning person you're not. welcome back. for thousands of people in our counity, the need for weed is too strong to control. as states nationwide move towards ful decriminalizing marijuana, the news4 eye team found thousands of users are seeking help to get ay from it. as scott mcfarland reveals there's growing costs of medical marijuana treatment for taxpayers. >> reporter: before becoming a dad and posing for pictures with his kids and picking up the toys around the house, life looked a lot different for matt parish. you started off with marijuana. it wasn't casual, though, was it? >> no, it was never very casual. >> reporter: he says first it was marijuana that controlled his life. >> eventually i was spoking when

i woke up, before i went to bed. every chance i could get. >> reporter: and then harder drugs like opioids. >> it was a very bad car accident. we flipped the car two times in the middle of rush hour. >> reporter: when we crashed en route to d.c. to buy more drugs. surviving that accident pushed had imto seek help. >> i'm here for a reason. i'm going ask for help. >> reporter: angela called we will, aziks counselor says marijuana addiction is something she often sees. >> you're not going find a lot of people to die from overdose, but it does not discount the effects. >> reporter: we found thousand of people admitted to state supported drug treatment programs citing marijuana as the main reason. we found thousands more who cited marijuana as one of the reasons. the largest increase nationwide among women, 18 to 25 years old.

in our area, it's women 31 to 40. not surprising, says caldwell as states move to decriminalize marijuana. >> it's been a part of their culture. it's so socially acceptable. >> reporter: it's hard to convince young people this is harmful. >> yeah, they're not trying to hear that. >> reporter: harmful and costly. in virginia alone we found spending on state supported treatment programs for drugs reached 15 the $5 million last year. caldwell says the addiction is hard to convince. it's disrupting you from life. then it's an addiction. >> then it's an addiction. >> reporter: national research shows those who begin smoking at teens or daily are more likely to need treatment. experts testifying before the senate says marijuana does have addictive properties. >> prolonged marijuana use is

addiction. marijuana is less addictive than opiate painkillers but is an addictive substance. >> reporter: a survey reports 9% of marijuana users admit becomi becomi becomi becoming dependent. matt parish eventually got clean and as a counselor he's helping others who may be following his own journey. >> you eventually want more. the constant smoking, you build a tolerance to it. >> reporter: learning that casual marijuana smoking doesn't always remain casual. sct mcfarland, news4 eye team. >> if you or someone you know is looking for help for any type of substance abuse, we have ur res. just look under investigations on our site.

k, poten we come b parties in the district? most of those cases go nowhere. ahead, whaty t uncover and ahead, whaty t uncover and changes to marijuana laws.

z35whz z16fz y35why y16fy

welcome back. as medical marijuana becomes legal in me and more states, a new study is getting some reaction from parents about where dispensaries should go. university of michigan survey shows three quarters of parents think dispensaries should not be near school os day cares and 47% say they shouldn't be neatheir children. dozens of pop-up parties. n thes i-teams found this to arrests. >> reporter: you can find i it

any corner of the district. pot parties popping up inside businesses and warehouses and even homes. e district's marijuana law says you can grow it, smoke it and give small amounts to others. you just can't buy it or sell it. creating a entire industry that exchanges cash for stickers, t shirts, even socks that come with marijuana products as gift. >> i don't see a problem with it. >> reporter: he says he doesn't equent or host pop-up parties but last month got arrested while standing outside to have one at a building hwns and sell for sevents. rmed the building, guns drawn, and it was terrifying. >> reporter: police arrested the two wen in the setting up for the party, but prosecutors dropped those cases. the i-team found that's not uncommon. followed every case through the court.

out of 255 people charged the i-team found exactly three have gone to trial. >> marijuana prosecutions in the city have always been lenient. >> reporter: he wasn't surprised hear prosecutors dropped 789% of the cases. when 89% of arrests get dismissed that's got to be frustrated. >> not with marijuana.wn i've g accustomed to that. >> reporter: why continue having officers spend their time raiding those parties? y >> if're gifting it on a large scale to hundreds of people turned guise of you're giving them something else it's slearly distribution. i don't think thaven gray. >> reporter: in a statement prosecutors said the fully support police efforts but successfully prosecutoring them needs a legal standard. prosecutors shouldn't enforce a law that's likely to change.

he's introduced a law that allows marijuana to be bought sold and taxed. >> we are saying more people operate in lowed to this business without the consequence of being arrested. >> reporter: he owns a business and says the marijuana police impounded his car out back wasn't for sale. he infuse z it a sells it in lotions. it's described on his website. >> it'sy.craz i think it's wrong. >> reporter: it's one of 22 cases prosecutors haven't dropped. three dozen others accepted guilty pleas. the chief says pop-up raids often originate with complaints from neighbors abo noise and traffic and cash only salesak the parties a, the for crime. officers sometimes recovered thousands of dollars and ns, which are illegal to carry in the district. >> we have seen a couple of

robberies associated with the pop-up parties. we have seen at least one homicide. >> reporter: purvis agrees safety is important, but still sees the gifting law as gray in the pop-up parties and his own business. >> definitely have to maybe rethink how i'm going to do it. i definitely don't want police coming in again. >> reporter: the u.s. attorney's spokesman toll us they have moved forward with the most viable pop-up party cases and prosecute any weapons or violence. thanks for joining us for week.special news4 this i'm leon harris. thanks for joining us. have a great week.

5 it's a star sunday, hockey matinee from new york city, as the rangers and their leading score mika zibanejad get set to take on t stanley cup champions whington capitals. nicklas backstrom and company loing to take over the top spot in the metropolitan division. ♪