DUID Victim Network
Education and promoting effective laws to reduce Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID)
About DUID Victim Voices:
Many voices are heard when a state considers stronger DUID laws. The voices of the marijuana lobby, law enforcement professionals, forensic toxicologists, and drug users typically dominate. DUID Victim Voices represents the interests of the victims of drugged driving, providing fact-based education and a victim perspective to decision makers and to the general public.
Background
All states define alcohol DUI per se with laboratory tests that prove impairment by a blood alcohol level greater than .08 gm/dl for adults and greater than zero (or .02 gm/dl) for minors. Laboratory tests are routinely performed for all suspected alcohol DUI cases. Only 19 states define drug DUI (DUID) per se by objective laboratory tests.
Three additional states have established permissible limits for marijuana’s active THC in drivers, but these limits are a poor substitute for comprehensive drug per se laws. All other states use more difficult, costly, and subjective means to prove DUID on a case-by-case basis, with highly variable results.
Michigan is considering legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in next month’s election. Ross Jones of Detroit’s ABC affiliate WXYZ reported on his interviews of a number of Colorado leaders this week, asking if Colorado was less safe since legalizing marijuana in Colorado. I was one of his interviewees.
Much of his reporting focused on the issue of marijuana-impaired driving. I pointed out to him that marijuana-impaired driving and all drug-impaired driving is a significant … READ MORE
