Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana, is debating limits on drugged driving, says the Washington Post. Prosecutors and some legislators have pushed for setting a strict blood-level limit for THC, the key ingredient in cannabis. Such legislation has failed in recent years in the face of fierce opposition from marijuana advocates and defense lawyers, who say a one-size-fits-all standard doesn’t work for marijuana because it affects the body differently than alcohol.
“I haven't had a car accident since I was 18, and I've had marijuana in my system for most of that time,” said Paul Saurini, 39, one of many weed activists, or “wactivists,” who spoke out against setting a firm blood-level limit during a hearing in the state capital this week. On the other side, John Jackson, police chief in Greenwood Village, says, “We have to create some standards to protect public safety. Not doing so, in my opinion, is reckless public policy. Any time you legalize things like this, you'll have more of it on the roadway. If we had vending machines with Oxycontin, there'd be more people on Oxycontin driving on the roadways. And that's not safe.”