ESTABLISH LEGAL LIMIT FOR THC-BLOOD LEVEL

If people are allowed to drive after drinking -- provided their
blood-alcohol level is under the legal limit -- then why shouldn't
people be allowed to drive after smoking marijuana? That seems to be
the question raised by a bill in the Colorado state legislature,
which would set a legal limit of under five nanograms per milimeter
of THC in a person's bloodstream. As long as a driver's THC-blood
level is under five nanograms, he would legally be allowed to drive.
While some are in support of the current zero-tolerance policy, we
agree with the idea of establishing a legal limit. If used
responsibly, marijuana does not significantly impair a person's
ability to drive. A 2004 National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration study shows that marijuana, if used responsibly, does
not significantly impair a person's ability to drive.

Placing a legal limit on THC-blood level may help remove the stigma
some Americans have about pot. By treating marijuana in a similar
manner to the way alcohol is treated, this bill may help to normalize
pot usage to the extent that people may being considering the actual
effects of marijuana, rather than dismissing it as illegal and
therefore, highly dangerous. Like any mind-altering substance,
marijuana can be dangerous -- but if alcohol is legal, then there is
no reason marijuana should not be as well. As long as pot is
regulated in the same way alcohol is regulated, responsible adults
should be able to enjoy it. This bill has the potential to expose
this truth to people who have never taken the time to really consider
the facts. This bill also opens the door for medical marijuana users
to drive after using what is, in this case, medication. It is not
fair to prevent them from driving because of outdated laws.

The Cannabis Therapy Institute has objected to the bill, stating that
"chronic cannabis users, such as medical-marijuana patients, normally
average a much higher THC concentration in their bloodstream than 5
ng/mL ... and this does not necessarily cause impairment." That may
be the case, but the Cannabis Therapy Institute is approaching the
bill from the wrong angle. Rather than complain that cannabis users
can often drive with higher THC levels in their blood, they need to
recognize that -- even though this bill is not perfect -- it is a
step in the right direction. This is the first time a state has
decided to tackle the issue of driving high, so it is expected the
bill will have some flaws. But what is important here is that
Colorado has recognized that regulation is far more productive than
outright condemnation.