From USA TODAY: Police say people who smoke weed have ‘green tongues,’ though there’s no scientific evidence. Police officers nationwide use the observation, among other signs, to justify probable cause and make arrests, specifically in DUI cases.
Police officers across the USA alleged in some DUI cases that people who recently smoked marijuana had green tongues. One specialized training program taught all around the world has law enforcement look for a “possible green coating”.
However, police point to no scientific studies that show marijuana causes someone’s tongue to turn green. These makes many criminal defense lawyers consider “green tongue” arrests to be arrests based on junk science.
“[If they convict someone], it should be . . . proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Bradley Myerson, a Vermont defense attorney. “Green tongue has nothing to do with marijuana ingestion, let alone impairment.”
