CHP grants target impaired driving

The California Highway Patrol on Tuesday announced the availability of nearly $27 million in grant funds to help local communities combat impaired driving, according to a release from the agency.

The funding is the result of Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which provided specified cannabis tax funding to the CHP to administer local grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs regarding impaired driving. Funding for the grants comes from a tax on the cultivation and sale of cannabis and cannabis products sold in California since January 2018.

For the current grant cycle, the program will be awarding grants based on a competitive process to California law enforcement agencies and local toxicology laboratories meeting the eligibility requirements described in the 2021 Request for Application, available on the CHP website.

The CHP will hold a virtual workshop on Jan. 6 to answer questions from potential grant applicants regarding the application process. Applications will be accepted beginning Jan. 7 through Feb. 23 for programs beginning on July 1.

“These grants represent an opportunity for the CHP to work collaboratively with local traffic safety stakeholders to strategically address impaired driving issues while making California’s roadways a safer place to travel,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said in a prepared release.