NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano submitted written testimony to the Committee opposing both provisions.
Tag: driving
“There are legitimate concerns around the marijuana legalization debate. … However, based on our research and the research of others, the effect that legal marijuana could have on traffic safety should not be one of those concerns.”
“In the largest trial to date involving experienced users smoking cannabis, there was no correlation between THC (and related metabolites/cannabinoids) in blood, OF [oral fluid], or breath and driving performance. … The complete lack of a relationship between the concentration of the centrally active component of cannabis in blood, OF, and breath is strong evidence against the use of per se laws for cannabis.”
Researchers concluded, “[W]e found no predominant pattern suggesting that behaviors and attitudes were more tolerant in states with liberal marijuana policies.”
The Nevada legislature advanced measures amending marijuana penalties for minors, rescinding per se driving thresholds for THC, and permitting consumers to obtain cannabis products via curbside pickup.
Drivers testing positive for the presence of THC in blood do not possess a significantly increased risk of being responsible for a non-fatal motor vehicle accident, according to data published in the journal Addiction.
The enactment of adult use marijuana regulation in Colorado and Washington is not independently linked to an increase in traffic fatalities, according to a study published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Standard roadside field sobriety tests (FST) are not reliable indicators of marijuana-induced impairment, according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Attorneys Steven Epstein and Marvin Cable filed an amicus curiae brief in the case on behalf of national NORML.