Tests used in six states to determine whether a driver is impaired by marijuana have no scientific credibility and should be discarded, according to the country’s biggest automobile club.
A study commissioned by AAA’s safety foundation concluded blood tests used to determine how much THC — the mind-altering component found in cannabis — is in a driver’s body don’t necessarily determine whether the driver is fit to be on the road, the Associated Press reports.
AAA points out five of the six states using these tests find the driver automatically guilty if their blood sample breaches the pre-set THC limit. This means some drivers who are not a danger on the road find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
The solution to this problem, according to AAA’s safety foundation, is to abandon the current system and replace it with one that relies more on the skills of specially trained police officers who are able to tell if a driver in impaired.
“There is understandably a strong desire by both lawmakers and the public to create legal limits for marijuana impairment in the same manner we do alcohol,” said Marshall Doney, AAA’s president and CEO. “In the case of marijuana, this approach is flawed and not supported by scientific research.”
It is often much more difficult for law enforcement to tell whether someone is impaired by marijuana than alcohol. New York University professor Mark A. R. Kleiman, who specializes in drugs and criminal policy, outlined to the AP the only way drivers could ensure they don’t fall victim of current laws.
“A law against driving with THC in your bloodstream is not a law you can know you are obeying except by never smoking marijuana or never driving,” said Kleinman.
He added that using marijuana can double the risk of a car crash, but using a hands-free cell phone, which is legal, quadruples crash risk. (RELATED: Stoned Vs Drunk Driving: New Study Reveals Which Is More Dangerous)
The AAA safety foundation’s recommendations apply to Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington.
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