Recently in this blog, we’ve reported on the efforts Colorado lawmakers have made to establish a THC-blood limit for drivers in the Rocky Mountain State. At the end of April, a Senate committee rejected a bill proposing these changes to Colorado DUI law, however the measure quickly regained momentum.
On Tuesday, May 7, the Senate voted 24-11 in favor of House Bill 1325, which states that motorists who have 5 nanograms of active THC in their blood are too stoned to drive and can be arrested and penalized similarly to those who are caught driving while under the influence of alcohol. The bill – which is exactly the same as another that failed earlier in the year – will head to Governor John Hickenlooper for the final say.
For the past three years, the attempt to establish a legal limit on the nanograms of THC per 100 milliliters of blood that drivers could register in tests given by law enforcement officials has been met with staunch opposition – particularly from individuals who use marijuana for medicinal purposes and based on the lack of scientific research to support such a limit. Some opponents have argued that 5 nanograms is too low of a limit for those who smoke the drug frequently, while others have said that there may not even be a correlation between marijuana blood levels and driving impairment.
At The Orr Law Firm, we acknowledge that recent scientific evidence has suggested that the THC-blood limit does not accurately depict a driver’s level of impairment, and as such, we understand the concerns that individuals throughout the Rocky Mountain State have regarding HB 1325.
