How California is Preparing for Legalization of Cannabis

Driving while high on cannabis is not a good idea, though some people do it anyway. This has put lawmakers in a real quandary because for decades there was no legislation on legal cannabis intoxication. An article from the East Bay Express goes into what California is doing and how other states have responded to the problem.

There is a bill in the California senate, Bill 65, that restricts drivers and their passengers from smoking, vaping, or consuming edible cannabis products while in a motor vehicle. If legislation like this passes, there would be no way to have a designated driver for those who smoke cannabis.

In Colorado, they did an educational campaign to warn people about the dangers of driving while high and the legal penalties. Lawmakers also set a legal intoxication limit, though it is difficult to detect just how much active THC is in the body at any given time. Driving while high dropped 33% after these measures, though authorities are unsure if people are just hiding it better or not.

However, detecting a high driver may change soon. There is a race among inventors to develop the first cannabis breathalyzer. We’re likely to see them come out by the end of this year. Their accuracy in court, however, will need to be tested. Full cannabis legalization in California starts early next year, so lawmakers are scrambling to put regulations in place now.

Have you been accused of driving while high? Contact our legal team today for a consultation. Driving while high is more difficult to defend than driving drunk, so you need someone with experience in DUI defense.

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