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US: Medical pot states mull driving laws Maggie Clark / McClatchy-Tribune News Service The Bulletin Friday 13 Apr 2012 Between 2006 and 2010, more than 300 fatal accidents involved drivers who tested positive for cannabis, according to the Colorado Department of Highway Safety. That's why Republican state Sen. Steve King wants Colorado to set a legal limit for marijuana intoxication, somewhat similar to the 0.08 percent blood alcohol limit states put on driving under the influence of alcohol. And in California, Democratic Assemblywoman Norma Torres wants to set a zero-tolerance ban on driving under the influence of any drug, including marijuana. But bills put forward by both King and Torres have run into opposition from those who say the science around what marijuana does to the body and mind is not conclusive enough to set a legal limit. In Colorado, critics also note that King’s approach would cost the state public defender's office about $600,000 per year to defend those accused of "drugged driving" charges. Yet concerns over cannabis intoxication won't go away. Voters in Colorado and Washington state will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, while a dozen more states are considering legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. In this explainer, Stateline examines the research surrounding marijuana and road safety, and explores why it's so difficult to say how high is too high to drive. Q: How does marijuana affect the body? A: The active ingredient in marijuana is called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Whether marijuana is ingested through smoking or eating, THC rapidly goes through the bloodstream to the brain. In the brain, THC slows down receptors that communicate brain functions between synapses, throwing the brain’s natural information flow off balance. Users experience diminished pain sensitivity, which explains marijuana's medicinal purpose. But users also experience slowed reaction time, impaired memory function, impaired coordination and altered judgment. Q: How does marijuana's effect on drivers compare to alcohol? A: Although the symptoms for THC intoxication are similar to alcohol intoxication, the effects on drivers are very different. According to a study by researchers from Yale University, alcohol-impaired drivers struggle with complex tasks like merging onto a crowded highway, but can generally perform automatic functions like turning on the car. Marijuana users, however, can better handle complex situations than simple tasks like following the curve of a road. Users of alcohol and marijuana also differ in their perceptions of their own impairment. Alcohol users tend to underestimate their level of impairment and drive faster and more recklessly. By contrast, marijuana users tend to overestimate their impairment and don't display as many obvious impairment symptoms. Q: How does the risk of traffic accidents following marijuana consumption compare with the risks of accidents after alcohol consumption? A: Driving within three hours of consuming cannabis increases the risk of vehicle crashes by about two or three times, according to research published this February from Mark Asbridge, an associate professor at Dalhousie University in Canada. Concerning as that is, it is much less of a risk than alcohol consumption, which increases vehicle crash risk by five to 16 times. Q: What laws do states have in place now? A: According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 17 states have what are known as "per se" laws regarding drugs and driving. That means anyone driving with traces of an illegal or impairing drug in his or her system is breaking the law. This is closer to a "zero tolerance" policy than the 0.08 percent blood alcohol content states have for drunk driving. However, of those states that have per se laws, Arizona, Delaware, Michigan, Nevada and Rhode Island also allow medicinal marijuana, setting up an inherent conflict. Q: Do states try to measure marijuana intoxication like blood alcohol content? A: That's what Nevada has done. In an attempt to create something like the clear standard that exists for alcohol intoxication, Nevada set a limit for THC in the blood at 2 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood. That's about 2 billionths of a gram of THC — one gram is about the weight of a paperclip — in one drop of blood. In Colorado, state King's bill would set a limit of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood. And in Washington state, the ballot initiative that would legalize recreational use of marijuana would also set a limit of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood. Advocates of medical marijuana say the science isn’t supportive of adopting such specific limits. They worry that this approach will cause drivers who aren’t impaired but have lingering traces of THC in their blood to lose their driver's licenses. http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120413/NEWS0107/204130384/1009/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01
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