Fuchs, Erin. “Why It’s Crazy To Try To Set DUI Limits For Marijuana.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 July 2015.
Erin Fuchs is the senior editor at the “Business insider” website and is the author of this current article. In the article published on Business Insider.com on December 19, of 2013. She proclaims that having a law that restricts the amount of weed in you while behind the wheel is unnecessary. She specifically states that the amount of THC in your blood that is recommended for the legal limit is too low.
According to Ms Fuchs, Colorado passed a law saying that presumes that you’re too high to drive if you have 5 nanograms or more of THC per milliliter of blood, even though there is insufficient evidence to tie that level of THC to impaired driving. When it came to marijuana, the policy has never been driven by science in the country. So there has never been a presumption that a certain level of THC in your blood means your high, Fuchs Expresses. She then exclaims that now that this law is in effect, people are goanna be more afraid to drive because even though they may have not even smoked, then could still be considered high because their THC levers are above the legal limit. Even if you took it a while ago, it is possible to still have the marijuana in your system depending on how long it takes you to metabolize it.
Fuchs then reports that several states have several DUI laws concerning driving while intoxicated from drugs, and some states like Arizona and Oklahoma have a zero tolerance laws, which means if you’re caught driving under the influence than you’ll be arrested on the spot. Yet, marijuana advocates say there simply isn’t enough evidence to link certain THC levels to impaired driving.
However, Fuchs reports that, there is some evidence that it’s not a good idea to drive while high. According to an interview with Dr Marilyn Huestis, when people smoke marijuana they lose some of their peripheral vision and can also affect your perception of time. This in turn can affect your ability to make decisions, multitask, and driver’s ability to hold the vehicle in the middle of the road. Ms. Fuchs also reports that experiments where run by the Washington TV station in which people volunteer to get high on pot and then drive on a course with a safety instructor. The results; one drove too slowly, while another almost hit the stations photographer. Despite these sign that driving high might be bad, even the federal government says there’s a lack of evidence that ties a certain level THC with a certain degree of impairment, according Ms. Fuchs.
So when it comes to figuring out how much is an appropriate amount of THC levels, Erin Fuchs still believes that it’s unnecessary to have such a limit. She proclaims that some people will be able to drive perfectly at a certain level of THC intoxication, while others may be impaired – so It’s inadvisable to try and predict effects based on blood THC concentrations alone.
This article and your summary discuss a very interesting factor that comes with the legalization of marijuana. I think the fact that the author talks about thc and the effects of driving while under the influence of marijuana not really being thoroughly examined reflect on how the US needs to do more research in order to truly make a decision about marijuana.
This article brings up a good point about how we go about setting the limits of “driving while high” There should be an actual study to see how much it takes to really be impaired. Also until OK and AZ legalized marijuana the only worry is on alcohol. On another note, wouldn’t people only be tested if they were stopped because of erratic driving? That aside I believe there should be a lot of thinking when coming up with DUI laws as they are serious matters.
This article really opens me to a viewpoint that I haven’t researched about yet. On the specific limits that should be set, if legalized. I believe that it should be presented like alcohol is. Therefore there is always a limit!
I found this really interesting. It talked about a subject that I hadn’t read or heard much about. I agree that THC levels in blood should be scientifically studied to see if it affects driving. Very well written!
It seems as if Fuchs contradicts himself. Heavy amounts of scientific research isn’t necessary if it is proven that THC impairs a person’s sense of time and body movement. The experiment described by Fuchs should be enough to recognize that the slightest mistake by an intoxicated driver could take someone’s life. Fuchs’ argument is very remarkable.