{"id":6024,"date":"2016-05-12T02:44:17","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T02:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/?p=51167"},"modified":"2016-05-20T22:51:18","modified_gmt":"2016-05-20T22:51:18","slug":"new-study-says-there-is-no-scientific-basis-for-current-marijuana-dui-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/new-study-says-there-is-no-scientific-basis-for-current-marijuana-dui-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Says There Is No Scientific Basis For Current Marijuana DUI Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/new-study-says-there-is-no-scientific-basis-for-current-marijuana-dui-laws\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Currently, six of the states that have legalized marijuana in some fashion use threshold-based blood tests to determine whether or not a driver is under the influence. Blood tests are these states\u2019 primary tool in prosecuting marijuana-related DUI charges.<\/p>\n<p>The American Automobile Association, better known as AAA, just released findings from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaafoundation.org\/impaired-driving-and-cannabis\">new study<\/a>. Researchers found that the THC limits dictating current marijuana DUI laws have no scientific basis. Commissioned by the Automobile club\u2019s safety foundation, the study states it is impossible to determine someone\u2019s level of marijuana impairment simply from a threshold-based blood test. Now AAA is saying we need to reform these laws.<\/p>\n<p>In five of the six states, a positive THC blood test is enough to presume guilt in a DUI case, meaning you\u2019re guilty if you test positive and not guilty if you pass the screening. AAA\u2019s new findings suggest some intoxicated drivers may be going free just because of a flawed test while drivers who are safe to drive may are being prosecuted for DUI.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51172\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-study-says-there-is-no-scientific-basis-for-current-marijuana-dui-laws\" sizes=\"(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/460x-294x300.jpg 294w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/460x.jpg 460w\" alt=\"Courtesy of AP\" width=\"460\" height=\"469\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Instead of using the blood test as a singular identifier, the organization recommends training police officers to go through a detailed step-by-step process to determine whether a driver is stoned or not. The blood tests would still be used, but only to test for marijuana\u2019s presence in the blood to back up an officer\u2019s suspicion, rather than as the primary indicator of guilt. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, <a href=\"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/dispensaries\/in\/united-states\/nevada\">Nevada<\/a> and Montana currently employ the threshold-based blood tests, and with a slew of states gearing up to pass new legal marijuana initiatives, the issue could grow worse if those new states also implement these potentially harmful practices.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marshall Donney, the organization\u2019s President and CEO, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2016\/05\/10\/legal-limits-driving-high-marijuana\/53943\/\">addressed<\/a> the issue when he said, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere is understandably a strong desire by both lawmakers and the public to create legal limits for marijuana impairment in the same manner we do alcohol. In the case of marijuana, this approach is flawed and not supported by scientific research.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Trying to apply the same procedures we use with alcohol intoxication testing is pointless because the two drugs interact with our bodies in very different ways. The problem with marijuana blood testing lies in determining whether a positive test means the driver was impaired at the time of the incident or had simply used the drug in recent days, or even weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Tolerance plays a significant role, as there\u2019s not currently a scientific way to test whether someone is impaired (or the degree of the impairment) solely based on the THC content of their blood. If in an individual in question is a regular smoker, then an elevated level of THC in the blood stream may not indicate intoxication. On the other hand, a first-time smoker may have very trace amounts of THC in their system while still feeling very high due to their low tolerance. Even though the first-time smoker may not test positive on a threshold-based THC screening, the effects may be enough to impair their driving seriously.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-51171 size-medium_large\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-study-says-there-is-no-scientific-basis-for-current-marijuana-dui-laws1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/shutterstock_342851510-300x237.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/shutterstock_342851510-768x606.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/shutterstock_342851510.jpg 1000w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/shutterstock_342851510-300x237@2x.jpg 600w\" alt=\"shutterstock_342851510\" width=\"702\" height=\"554\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Another major issue is that some states have zero tolerance policies attached to THC blood tests. These tests also pick up on the microscopic metabolites left behind by THC, meaning you could be charged with a DUI for testing positive even if you haven\u2019t smoked in weeks. Mark A. R. Kleiman, an NYU professor and expert in the field of drug and criminal policy, claims this makes no sense. Kleiman recently said, \u201cA law against driving with THC in your bloodstream is not a law you can know you are obeying except by never smoking marijuana or never driving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kleiman cites the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2014\/06\/12\/the-truth-about-driving-while-stoned.html\">overstated effects<\/a> of marijuana impairment as the main reason we should scrap weed-related DUIs altogether for a decriminalized system where the offense would only carry the punishment of a ticket. He cited a separate <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cuinjuryresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Li-et-al-AAP-2013.pdf\">study<\/a> claiming marijuana impairment raises the risk of an accident by double. Comparatively, a .12 blood alcohol content multiplies your risk of crashing 15-fold. A distraction as common as a crying baby in the backseat is considered as dangerous as marijuana impairment while driving, according to the study. The real problems occur when marijuana is mixed with other substances like alcohol, amplifying the effects of both on the driver.\u00a0The AAA released a separate report on the effects of combining alcohol and marijuana that makes for an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaafoundation.org\/sites\/default\/files\/TSCIDUIBeliefsAndBehaviors.pdf\"> interesting read<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would think this goes without saying but don\u2019t get high and drive, regardless of what some research study\u00a0\u201cfinds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Header Image Courtesy of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/gallery-50988p1.html\">Karen\u00a0Roach<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/marijuana.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/marijuana.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1463870705949000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHySLOk8pnPzUyHdrZ8WEFW684IDA\">Thanks to marijuana.com for this article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Currently, six of the states that have legalized marijuana in some fashion use threshold-based blood tests to determine whether or not a driver is under the influence. Blood tests are these states\u2019 primary tool in prosecuting marijuana-related DUI charges. The American Automobile Association, better known as AAA, just released findings from a new study. Researchers [&#8230;] <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5657,52,1969,5656,1179,2421,184,9,1,3,5053,18,61,5658,5530],"tags":[5660,2632,4537,5659,3749,2427,2762,5054,2622,6,5661,5538],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6064,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024\/revisions\/6064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}