How Bad Is Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana?
Alex Healey
· 4 min read
Driving under the influence
(DUI) or driving while impaired (DWI) is not a good idea. Even if you avoid getting into an accident, getting busted will have a long-lasting impact on your driving record, and it guarantees sky-high car insurance
rates for the foreseeable future.That said, many people do drive after consuming marijuana. Assuming you live in a state where marijuana is legal, whether or not you get into trouble for driving high often comes down to tolerance and how impaired you seem to be.
Some drivers even claim that marijuana improves their performance, and a recent study has sought to verify this by investigating the impact of different strains on driving ability.
Read on to learn more, and find out
Jerry’s
internal data shows about the impact of marijuana legalization on driving violations.
Why do some people think it's ok to drive after using marijuana?
Some marijuana advocates claim that marijuana use can improve driving by reducing anxiety and improving concentration.
While this might seem unlikely,
Forbes
cites a recent study in which 10 drivers had their driving skills assessed after smoking weed.Before hopping on a simulator, each driver was asked to rate their own impairment level, and those who felt more “stimulated” experienced a positive effect on their driving performance!
This is consistent with previous research, which has found that drivers who are aware of their impairment tend to drive more carefully, and take fewer risks.
How does it compare to drunk driving?
The aforementioned study contrasts sharply with the results of studies testing the impact of alcohol on driving.
Compared to marijuana, drivers who have consumed alcohol feel uninhibited and take far more risks.
So smoking weed and driving is safe, right? No!
While experienced users in a controlled environment may show improvements to their driving, it's hard to gauge how much marijuana is too much.
Regular users will feel a different level of impairment to a first-timer. It’s also hard to predict the effects of different cannabis strains.
The marijuana study delved further into this, and found “drug effects that produce more stimulation results in less impact on driving, while those that produce a more stoned or high feeling results in a greater negative effect on driving.”
This is similar to drinking and driving, in that some people may be fine after a couple of light beers, but a large whiskey would produce different results, and someone with a low tolerance should avoid alcohol altogether.
What does the law say in states where marijuana is legal?
While most states consider a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 to be the legal limit, figuring out an acceptable amount of cannabis in a driver’s system has proven tricky.
Following legalization, most states have imposed limits on the number of THC metabolites that can be present in a driver’s blood. However, owing to the fact they can remain detectable for days after the psychoactive effects of marijuana have worn off, courts have been reluctant to convict based on this information.
As a result, some states, including Colorado, have removed the THC limits, and drivers are now only considered impaired if they demonstrate impairment.
This is vague and gives a lot of credence to the opinion of the arresting officer. As a result, even if you feel completely fine after using marijuana, you’d be wise to call a cab or get a ride with a (sober) friend.
Supporting this, internal data from Jerry suggests that states where recreational use is legal have the highest rate of driving violations at 28.5%, versus 21.16% where marijuana remains against the law.
In a nutshell, marijuana might not affect your driving ability, but it could, and it only takes the faintest whiff and a grumpy police officer to completely ruin your night and your driving record.
