Are the Legal Driving Limits for Marijuana Use Safe Enough?

In Michigan, law enforcement officers met to compare notes on how the increasing use of marijuana might affect traffic safety. In most states, legal limits for the amount of marijuana found in one’s bloodstream have not yet been set. The two states that have thus far legalized recreational use of pot have set a legal limit but that standard seems to have a rather tentative status so far.

The meeting was the Governor’s Highway Safety Association conference that convened in early September 2014, in Grand Rapids. The director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission told the group, “This is coming whether you like it or not,” referring to the necessity of determining the safety or danger of driving while high on marijuana.

In Colorado and Washington, a legal limit of 5 nanograms of THC in a milliliter of blood has been set. This level is easy to achieve with moderate smoking and can last for at least a few hours after a person has smoked a joint or a bowl. With the higher potency of today’s pot, it’s easy to see THC levels get even higher. Medical marijuana websites and salespeople assert that their potencies hit 25% THC and above. And now, with this competition in the marketplace, Mexican pot growers are adopting the growing methods used for these higher potency products. As the lower potency “commercial” marijuana becomes stronger, this will bring the average numbers up. Right now, average potency (measured from seized samples of the drug) runs around 11% to 13% THC.

But this standard of 5% is hotly debated by many people. Is it the right standard? Are drivers at this level capable of avoiding accidents? To add to this debate, the UK has set a standard of 2% THC as the legal limit for drivers.

This issue is far from settled. But in fact, it could really be the wrong issue to settle.

The greater issue that is overlooked by so many people is that of the benefits of sobriety versus being high. The media and a minority of people are making a noisy issue out of the legality or illegality of being high. Perhaps the much better issues to address are how do we raise our teens and young adults to be successful at whatever activity or profession they choose? How can we teach them to be productive? Or ethical and honest? To be successful in marriage and as a parent? How can they learn more about their government and their communities so they can play roles in determining the future? And wouldn’t these activities all be enhanced by sobriety more than having a freewheeling attitude toward any kind of substance abuse?

One thing is certain: All surveys of young people show that every year, their perception of marijuana use as a risky activity drops. And their use of this drug increases. If this trend continues, we will soon learn what the outcome of this nationwide experiment is. If this increasing marijuana use has a damaging effect on our teens and young adults, there will be considerable damage to be undone. Our young people deserve to know that there is more freedom to succeed in all one’s roles in life when drugs are not part of the equation.