California Wants to Bust Sober Stoners for DUI

HIGHTIMES

California lawmakers want to bust marijuana users for DUI, even when they are not stoned. A recent proposal introduced in the state legislature would make it illegal for an individual to operate a motor vehicle with even a small trace of a controlled substance in their bloodstream.

The proposed legislation, AB 2500, would create a veritable shitstorm in courtrooms across the state, since law enforcement would have the authority to charge people testing positive for miniscule amounts of marijuana and prescription drugs with impaired driving.

“This bill would make it unlawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle if his or her blood contains any detectable amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol of marijuana or any other drug classified in Schedules I, II, III, or IV of the California Uniform Controlled Substance Act,” according to the legislation.

Of course, this proposed lunacy, set forth by Assemblyman Jim Frazier, has marijuana supporters in a nauseated state. They say California medical marijuana patients do not stand a chance under these types of laws, because THC, the active compound in marijuana, can potentially linger in a person’s system for days, weeks, and sometimes longer even though the stoned effects have long since gone.

Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, says the bill is “extreme” and could possibly be amended further down the line to only include marijuana. However, several attempts have been made to pass similar legislation, but they have been unsuccessful. “It flopped last year and it will flop this year,” said Gieringer.

Still, many California lawmakers believe in reefer madness, and have discussed implementing the popular five nanograms of THC per milliliter threshold in an attempt to curb stoned driving. Yet, Gieringer says the moment authorities get serious about that number, NORML goes to war.

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