A new study shows that the legalization of marijuana is presenting a big problem in Washington State.
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On the other hand, legalization may make recreational marijuana use more socially acceptable, and so more people may venture out of their homes to smoke pot, thereby increasing the risk of people driving while high, Hansen said.
The findings, which were released by the (AAA), suggest that states that have legalized marijuana use need better rules to protect drivers on the road, Nelson said.
In an attempt to mitigate drug-impaired driving, OH is one of a handful of states that have created legal limits, also known as per se limits, which specify the maximum amount of THC – that active ingredient in marijuana – that drivers can have in their system, based on a blood test.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission said in 2013, 592 drivers were involved in fatal crashes, but only 38 of those drivers tested positive for recent marijuana use. Additionally, one in six drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2014 had recently used marijuana. “And because we know from the research that the number is meaningless, that there’s no research that supports any stated threshold, so to have those laws on the books is bad news”. But there is no such thing, and real responses to the threat will not be able to replicate the quantifiable certitude of the blood-alcohol limits that officials around the country use to establish how drunk is too drunk to responsibly operate a auto.
The six states are Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. In other words, the study found that people with low blood amounts of THC-or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of pot-may still act as if they’re really stoned.
AAA notes that marijuana can have different impacts on different individuals.
Some drivers might be impaired when stopped by police, but by the time their blood is tested have fallen below the legal threshold because active THC dissipates rapidly. Infrequent smokers tend to see quick drops in blood THC levels, while regular users may sustain higher THC levels for longer.
Twelve states have strict legal limits that prohibit the presence of any levels of marijuana in drivers’ blood, the study authors said. And the majority of drivers in the Washington study who tested positive for THC – the psychoactive compound in marijuana – also tested positive for alcohol or other drugs.
Studies show that using marijuana and driving roughly doubles the risk of a crash, Kleiman said.
“It is understandable that lawmakers and the public want to set legal limits for marijuana impairment, just as we do with alcohol”, said Dave Carlson, public affairs director for AAA Idaho.
Scientists say states should scrap unreliable marijuana DUI tests.. “It’s simply not possible today to determine whether a driver is impaired based exclusively on the amount of the drug in their body”.
The researchers noted this approach would rely heavily on law-enforcement training programs that help officers recognize drug-impaired driving.
“Marijuana can affect driver safety by impairing vehicle control and judgement”, continued Nasworthy.
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When a DRE arrests someone for illegal drug use, he oir she evaluates the person using a 105-point checklist.
