Jan 5 - Marijuana legalization poses challenge to police on lookout for driving while high

Smoking marijuana in Washington state is legal as of Thursday, but driving while high is not.

It's a fine line that police and prosecutors are hoping to walk.

"I don't feel we are in unchartered territory -- I know we are," said Seattle Deputy City Attorney Craig Sims.

Possessing pot is legal now in Washington and soon in Colorado. In 17 other states, marijuana for medical use is easily obtainable. Yet unlike alcohol, there is no national legal limit. Some states have a zero tolerance policy, while others like Colorado and California leave it up to the discretion of the arresting officer.

Yet multiple studies show marijuana can cause dizziness and slowed reaction time, affecting coordination and judgment. Drivers are more likely to drift and swerve while they're high, according to research in the Netherlands.

"First and most important is an inability or reduced ability to divide one's attention," said California Highway Patrol drug recognition expert Sgt. Tyler Eccles. "Another effect of those who drive under influence of marijuana is a reduced ability to perceive time and distance."

In a field sobriety test, Eccles said it is not uncommon in the finger-to-nose tests for those high on marijuana to touch their eye socket or forehead. Those who support legalization say, however, that pot is less debilitating than alcohol, and that pot smokers are more aware of being impaired than those who drink.

That debate was front and center this summer in Colorado, which considered adopting a standard of five nanograms per milliliter of blood -- above that would have qualified as DUI-D, or driving while under the influence of drugs.

There are different types of tests for marijuana -- most involve THC, the ingredient that makes one high. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says peak THC concentrations are reached during the act of smoking, and within three hours they generally fall to less than 5 nanograms.

However, researchers say THC is stored in body fat and in heavy pot smokers remains detectable weeks after use. The pot lobby successfully argued in Colorado that innocent people could be found guilty based on prior use, and yet show no signs of impairment.

The legislature there agreed and defeated the bill. However, in Washington state, advocates knew the ballot measure would only pass with voters -- especially those in conservative eastern Washington -- with the 5-nanogram standard.

"Because we are early on in the research phase it is very difficult to tell if that 5-nanogram level will change, similar to how DUI standards have evolved over the years," said Sims. "There absolutely needs to be some public education campaign to educate John Q citizen on the effects of marijuana."

So how much pot does it take to reach five nanograms? Police say it is impossible to know since THC concentrations vary based on where and how the marijuana is grown, and how much is consumed.

"People always want to know how much does it take to reach five nanograms. That is nearly impossible to determine," said Eccles. "For anyone to say two hits or dosages get me to five nanograms, it is nearly impossible to make that determination."

Practically speaking, in Washington, police will still have to observe signs of impaired driving before pulling someone over.

Drivers will likely undergo some type of field test. If the officer believes the driver is impaired, they would be taken to a hospital where blood would be drawn. Tests above five nanograms would automatically subject the driver to a DUI conviction. With no priors, they may receive a day in jail and a fine.

Yet multiple studies show marijuana can cause dizziness and slowed reaction time, affecting coordination and judgment. Drivers are more likely to drift and swerve while they're high, according to research in the Netherlands.

I'll never forget me and my ace went to this party in Jersey City back in the day. I don't smoke but my son (matter fact all the niccas I used to hang with) get crazy blitzed. So Im drinkin' and !! we all kickin it outside these niccas got like 7 blunts in rotation and everytime one blunt is deaded its like another muthafuhka or !! come outa nowhere with another blunt. And Im kinda faded so Im watching this !! in awe like, "are these niccas gonna die from all this !!?" lol So me and my man get in his car to head back to New York and Im askin son, you ok? You ok? He like yeah Im good. Got to my spot and I get out and Im like yo you sure you ok? You gonna make it home? nicca like yeah yeah Im straight. So I head into my building go to sleep whatever. I get up in the morning head downstairs to get bogeys this nicca car still sittin' there running, got a boot on the !!, and he knocked the fuhk out! [pic]

This one Time I got too blown and decided to drive to 711 only do the whole thing in reverse
I made it there fine but on my way back I went up a curb and took out this ladIes mailbox and hummingbird feeder. She was pissed but i was high

This one Time I got too blown and decided to drive to 711 only do the whole thing in reverse
I made it there fine but on my way back I went up a curb and took out this ladIes mailbox and hummingbird feeder. She was pissed but i was high

I'll never forget me and my ace went to this party in Jersey City back in the day. I don't smoke but my son (matter fact all the niccas I used to hang with) get crazy blitzed. So Im drinkin' and !! we all kickin it outside these niccas got like 7 blunts in rotation and everytime one blunt is deaded its like another muthafuhka or !! come outa nowhere with another blunt. And Im kinda faded so Im watching this !! in awe like, "are these niccas gonna die from all this !!?" lol So me and my man get in his car to head back to New York and Im askin son, you ok? You ok? He like yeah Im good. Got to my spot and I get out and Im like yo you sure you ok? You gonna make it home? nicca like yeah yeah Im straight. So I head into my building go to sleep whatever. I get up in the morning head downstairs to get bogeys this nicca car still sittin' there running, got a boot on the !!, and he knocked the fuhk out! [pic]

This one Time I got too blown and decided to drive to 711 only do the whole thing in reverse
I made it there fine but on my way back I went up a curb and took out this ladIes mailbox and hummingbird feeder. She was pissed but i was high

you can control your self drunk too? Fact of the matter is you're still intoxicated while high off marijuana [pic]

Marijuana use had little effect on simulated driving skills, according to a Hartford Hospital study, but test subjects were more easily distracted when under the influence of the drug.
Investigators from Hartford Hospital and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine[..]essed the simulated driving performance of 50 male and 35 female subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All 85 subjects reported having used marijuana from one to 10 times per month previously.
The study was published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
During the study, some subjects were given actual marijuana cigarettes, and some were given a placebo, with neither the investigator nor the subject knowing which they had smoked. Another administrator kept track of who was given which type of cigarette.
The marijuana was supplied by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the University of Mississippi, the only legal source of the drug in the U.S.
Subjects drove a high-tech simulator that was very realistic, said Beth Anderson, an investigator in the study. "It was an actual car with parts replaced by computers."
Participants then drove down a simulated country road for 15 minutes, first in an "uneventful" simulation, and then in collision-avoidance and distracted-driving simulations, the study states.
In the collision-avoidance portion, drivers reacted to simulated events such as another driver entering an intersection illegally, a changing traffic light, and a dog running into the road.
The researchers found no signifcant difference between the study groups in the collision-avoidance tests.

Seems like i drive better while high. That just people who don't know how to control themselves and let the !! take control of them.

I'll never forget me and my ace went to this party in Jersey City back in the day. I don't smoke but my son (matter fact all the niccas I used to hang with) get crazy blitzed. So Im drinkin' and !! we all kickin it outside these niccas got like 7 blunts in rotation and everytime one blunt is deaded its like another muthafuhka or !! come outa nowhere with another blunt. And Im kinda faded so Im watching this !! in awe like, "are these niccas gonna die from all this !!?" lol So me and my man get in his car to head back to New York and Im askin son, you ok? You ok? He like yeah Im good. Got to my spot and I get out and Im like yo you sure you ok? You gonna make it home? nicca like yeah yeah Im straight. So I head into my building go to sleep whatever. I get up in the morning head downstairs to get bogeys this nicca car still sittin' there running, got a boot on the !!, and he knocked the fuhk out! [pic]

I was high as.!! once ,my AC magically turned on,so I'm looking down to turn it off and next thing you know I ran a red light ,and got caught by the camera. No ticket tho [pic]