Remember that time when a drunk drone pilot crashed his vehicle into the White House? Yeah, other people remember it too. In response to the growing popularity of drones and their pilots lacking in the ”common sense” department, New Jersey lawmakers are moving ahead a state law that will make flying a drone illegal when under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. I am weeping salty tears at the thought of ending my days of smoking pot, drinking beer and flying a $500 worth of heavy materials and sharp, moving rotors into other people. Sniff.

The bipartisan bill has already cleared through two legislative committees and is now requiring a final vote before passing. If signed by the expected date of end of January 2018, New Jersey will be the first of te United States to put such ban – although many other states are already considering similiar options. There are many ways of justifying such law but Democratic Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, one of the bill’s sponsors, says it best:

”(Drones are becoming) increasingly disruptive, causing near-misses with airplanes, interfering with firefighter operations, and being used to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prisons. This bill sets specific guidelines for how New Jersey’s residents are able to utilize these devices to establish some order and help prevent these dangerous situations”.

We do not have the exact info on the range of punishment available for breaking the upcoming bill, but we do know that ”interfering with firefighters or the security of prisons” will be considered a serious offense, resulting in up to 18 months of jail or a $10,000 fine.

What do you people think? The idea sounds legitimate to me. Drone pilots are a problem that is growing way too large. The world already has multiple problems on its plate; lets not add stupid men and women-child with expensive toys to the list.