before Retail licenses to sell marijuana continue to be issued in the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is trying to develop a method to measure when motorists are driving under the influence (DUI) of cannabis. There is no current standard or valid test yet.
While seeking solutions to detecting motorists driving high on marijuana, state health department officials said, “With the legalization of cannabis for adults, there are concerns about an increased incidence of disabled driving after cannabis use.”
The department also searches for the latest academic research related to cannabis testing. “Identifying drivers impaired by cannabis use is crucial (…). However, unlike alcohol, there are currently no evidence-based methods to detect cannabis-impaired driving.”
Health officials are trying to find out if cannabis poisoning can be linked to car accidents.
What does data say?
A recent studyperformed by the Insurance Institute for Road Safety, found that in legal marijuana states, the rate of auto accidents resulting in injuries increased by nearly 6% and the number of fatal accidents by 4%. Researchers found that in states with no legal marijuana, there was no increase in accidents. They compared five states with legal cannabis – Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada with states with no legal marijuana – Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Alcohol mixed with cannabis: Not a good idea
A separate survey found: “One-third of drivers who drink alcohol and use marijuana at the same time report getting behind the wheel of a car within two hours of using it — a worrying finding given the evidence that the combination alcohol and marijuana degrade driving performance more than either substance in itself,” said David Harkey, President of the Institute for Highway Safety.
“Cannabis stays in a person’s system longer than alcohol, making it harder to link use to DWI,” officials said. In addition, the marijuana law required the DOH to make a proposal…
