cannabisnews.com: Stoned Driving Bill Advances in CO Legislature
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Stoned Driving Bill Advances in CO Legislature
Posted by CN Staff on March 22, 2011 at 17:47:18 PT
By John Ingold, The Denver Post
Source: Denver Post
Colorado -- A bill placing tighter restrictions on people in Colorado who drive after using marijuana took another step forward today. But the approval this morning by the state House of Representatives didn't come without contention, including a skirmish among the bill's two sponsors.The bill, House Bill 1261, would create a limit of THC — the psychoactive component of marijuana — drivers could have in their blood. Anybody who tests above that amount, 5 nanograms per milliliter, would be presumed to be too high to drive, in much the same way someone with a blood-alcohol content above .08 is considered too drunk to drive.
The bill has the support of law enforcement officials, who say it brings specificity to existing laws banning stoned driving. But the proposal has been criticized by many in the medical-marijuana community, who fear the 5-nanogram level might be too low for people with high THC tolerances.Since THC levels in the blood can spike and dip quickly and can vary based on pot potency, ingestion method and other factors, it is difficult to quantify how much marijuana people must use or how long afterward they must wait to be below the 5-nanogram limit. The bill's detractors point out that the rise and fall of THC levels in the blood is much less predictable than that of alcohol. Furthermore, there is no way for marijuana users to easily figure out what their THC levels are, also unlike with alcohol.But the bill's supporters say that marijuana unquestionably impairs certain faculties critical in driving, and they argue that a number of studies conclude that people with levels above 5 nanograms are impaired. Some studies, they point out, suggest an even lower level often indicates impairment. Snipped   Complete Article: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17673264Source: Denver Post (CO)Author: John Ingold, The Denver PostPublished: March 22, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Denver Post CorpWebsite: http://www.denverpost.com/Contact: openforum denverpost.comCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by rchandar on March 26, 2011 at 20:23:52 PT:
BCL level
This is unfair practice and makes a convenient. excuse. to lock up people.  It can never be applied fairly.  Pot stays. in the. system.for a month. What. if I decided. to quit for good. and got pulled over 28 days. later?
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on March 23, 2011 at 09:17:45 PT
I'm no expert but, I play one in the legislature
".........and they argue that a number of studies conclude that people with levels above 5 nanograms are impaired."What studies? It would be nice if these legislative ding-a-lings, dithering between 2 and 8 nanograms - a unit of measure they probably have no concept of, for a compound of which they have little or no understanding - would ever supply a link or footnote to the studies they cite.  NORML's FAQ and link page on driving:http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5448
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on March 22, 2011 at 19:37:48 PT
model?
I wonder how accurate this test really is???
Also, the limited studies: keeping in mind the efforts by the DEA to block research.But I think this will be a model for other states, as the dominios fall.
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