Driving High Will Bring You Down

The legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado in November 2012 could have heralded change for the nation’s future regarding the drug. Currently, 18 states have medical marijuana provisions, five have removed jail time for possessing small amounts, and 11 are considering more lenient marijuana laws.
No matter what side of the pot legalization debate you’re on, we can all agree that drugged driving is dangerous. Though some people might boast that they “drive better high,” marijuana is a psychoactive substance proven to inhibit driving abilities. Make no mistake; driving high is driving while impaired, and therefore always illegal, even in states where marijuana use is legal or decriminalized.

The risk

THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana, is proven to many short-term effects, including:

• Memory and learning problems
• Distorted perception
• Difficulty in thinking and problem solving
• Loss of coordination

In the car, these side effects can translate to an inability to focus and perceive objects in front of the driver, decreased driving performance, poor time and distance estimation, an inability to maintain headway, sleepiness, and lack of motor coordination. A stoned driver also can wind up “over-compensating for self-perceived impairment,” according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The risks involving drugged driving increase exponentially when alcohol is involved.
Despite the risk, marijuana ranks behind only alcohol as the most frequently detected psychoactive substance among drivers, especially in young drivers.  One in 12 high school seniors admitted to driving after smoking pot, according to Monitoring the Future, an ongoing study of American students and young adults conducted by the University of Michigan. From 2005 to 2009, 42% of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for pot were younger than 25, according to the White House.

The consequences

The White House has introduced a National Drug Control Strategy to reduce impaired driving in the US by 10% by the year 2015. The NDCS especially targets drunken driving, but it fights drugged driving as well. In addition, many states currently work to crack down on driver impairment.
The problem with understanding THC driving impairment is that we don’t have a good way to measure it. Unlike alcohol, drug levels can’t be measured linearly in the blood. THC can remain in the body for months, and the levels in the blood can loop instead of decreasing steadily. Many states have per se laws that penalize a driver if there is any trace of THC in the blood. In these states, the penalties for drugged driving are harsher than for drunken driving because the drugs involved are illegal.  A habitual smoker in these states would probably be unable to legally drive a car. Washington and Colorado, however, have taken a different approach by setting strict legal driving limits for THC blood levels.

The takeaway

Even though the nation may be moving toward marijuana legalization, you should remember that driving impaired is always illegal. Whether that impairment occurs due to alcohol or other drugs makes no difference. By driving high, you risk not only your life, but the lives of countless others. In this case, just say no.