The media has carried a number of stories in recent days on the heavy demand for marijuana in Colorado, which recently became the first state in the country to legally sell marijuana for recreational purposes. Not surprisingly, the debate has once again veered into the impact of the new law on motorists driving under the influence of marijuana.
Los Angeles DUI lawyers have found little evidence to indicate that driving after smoking pot can impair driving abilities. Many of the studies that have been conducted in this field have simply failed to provide conclusive evidence. Even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website admits that it is very difficult to establish strong evidence to prove that THC levels in the bloodstream can impair driving skills. In fact, the agency says that it is not advisable to determine the effects of THC on a person’s driving skills based primary on blood THC concentration levels.
Some investigators including those from the National Institute on Drug Abuse claim that there is loss of peripheral vision when a person smokes marijuana. Balance is affected, and marijuana also renders a person unable to understand how rapidly time is passing. Marijuana can also affect a person's decision-making abilities. However, it is not known whether these effects are strong enough to actually impair a person's ability to drive.
However, if you are a recreational marijuana user, avoid driving after using pot. If you must drive, make sure that you spend extra care at the wheel, and that you focus extra closely on the task of driving. Remember, a police officer can pull you over if you are found veering between lanes, or driving erratically. Try to ensure that there is no reason that police officers have to pull you over in the first place.
