• 17
  • February
    2012

Until recently, scientists did not agree on whether driving under the influence of marijuana increased the risk of car accidents. A new study, though, from Dalhousie University in Canada, found that smoking marijuana does significantly increase the risk of serious car accidents, especially fatal collisions.

Here, the Dalhousie researchers arrived at this conclusion by examining the results of nine earlier studies and concluded that cannabis consumption almost doubles the risk of serious collisions resulting in significant injury or death. It is worth noting, however, that they were unable to draw any conclusions about the relationship between cannabis consumption and minor accidents.

Interestingly, the study's authors suggest that the results could lead to changes in public policy, such as police doing more roadside drug-impairment tests and governments running ad campaigns against driving while impaired by drugs.

Roadside testing for cannabis consumption is far less common than roadside testing for alcohol consumption. However, at least 12 states do currently test for marijuana consumption, using saliva tests that look for traces of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

One thing that scientists still don't know for sure is what level of cannabis in the body is necessary to impair driving. This makes it considerably more difficult to create a cut-off point like the ones used in roadside alcohol tests (i.e., a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher). Instead, there is usually a no-tolerance rule for roadside cannabis tests.

Many drivers believe they are less likely to get caught driving with marijuana in their system than they are with alcohol in their system. That could change, though, if governments increase their enforcement of no-driving-while-impaired rules.

Stay tuned for more from our Denver criminal defense blog ...

This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Source:

Scientific American, "Smoke and Mirrors: Driving While High on Marijuana Doubles One's Chances of a Serious Car Crash" Feb. 9, 2012