State Senator Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has introduced a bill that would prohibit law enforcement from making arrests or filing charges based only on certain field tests that assess whether a suspected substance is illegal.  

Senate Bill 912, or the Requiring Objective and Accurate Drug Testing Act (ROAD Testing), concerns colorimetric drug tests, which involve assessing the presence of things like heroin, methamphetamine or cannabis in suspected substances. Officers can use the tests in the field, often while a suspect is initially detained.  

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.