Medical marijuana and driver impairment | Seattle Personal Injury ...

While fatal car accidents have declined in recent years, according to a recent nationwide study, the percentage of fatal accidents involving drivers who tested positive for drugs has risen 18 percent.

There is also research to prove that many people have been seriously injured in car accidents caused by marijuana use. Marijuana causes dizziness and slowed reaction times. This means that Washington drivers who have been smoking marijuana may be more likely to lose control of their vehicles and drift or swerve into other lanes while they are driving.

A recent review of car accidents involving marijuana use suggests that driving while impaired may double the risk of drivers being involved in a serious or fatal car accident. This fact alone seems to create a clear cut need to enforce driving under the influence of marijuana similarly to drunk driving. However, there are some key differences that blur the lines of acceptable enforcement.

For example, many people are using marijuana for medicinal purposes, especially in Washington where the use of medical marijuana is legal. In addition, because evidence of marijuana use can stay in the blood stream for long after someone has actually been impaired, it is difficult to assess the mental state of the driver at any given point in time.

New technology may provide law enforcement officials ways to detect whether a driver has just recently used marijuana. However, that test is not able to identify who is actually impaired or not. This is because there is no consensus about how much of the drug creates impairment.

Until scientists can determine how much marijuana is too much, drivers on Washington roadways may be at risk of serious personal injuries by those who have the legal right to use marijuana for medical purposes, and then get behind the wheel.

Source: New York Daily News, "How do you know if someone's too stoned to drive?" March 18, 2012

Source: http://www.seattlepersonalinjurylawattorney.com/2012/03/medical-marijuana-and-driver-impairment.shtml

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