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Finally! Solid DUID data!

June 1, 2017 Governor Hickenlooper signed HB17-1315, negotiated and written by DUID Victim Voices founder Ed Wood.  The bill requires Colorado to collect, analyze and annually publish DUI/DUID data from the Colorado’s courts, laboratories and state agencies.  Beginning in March, 2018, when the first report is scheduled to be published, Colorado will have a better understanding of the causes of DUI citations; alcohol, drugs, or combinations of both.  The state will know which drugs … READ MORE

It’s not a contest, folks!

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) updated its 2017 drugged driving report that has garnered an immense amount of press.  

Many in the media understood the report to say that drugged driving has surpassed drunk driving, although that was not the report’s conclusion.  Data were reported based upon NHTSA’s FARS reports which in turn are primarily based on coroner’s testing of drug and alcohol content of drivers killed in fatal crashes.  The GHSA report … READ MORE

Our Data Bill Is About To Become Law

Colorado’s legislature passed House Bill 1315 on May 10th, its last day before adjourning for the year. The bill directs the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Research and Statistics to collect, analyze and publish DUI data to advise policy makers on the causes and results of DUI in Colorado. Like many states, Colorado has a single citation for DUI irrespective of cause; alcohol, drugs, or a combination of alcohol and drugs. Therefore, current state … READ MORE

Opposing the mainstream

Thanks to the efforts of DUID Victim Voices supporter Stephie Mager, Nevada has a DUID per se law that establishes legal limits for several drugs including methamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin, LSD, marijuana, and phencyclidine (Angel Dust).  The blood THC limit is 2 ng/ml, very close to the limits of quantification of most forensic toxicology laboratories.  

Perhaps due to Nevada’s recent move to legalize marijuana, the Reno Gazette Journal published an editorial April 10, … READ MORE

Don’t Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol; It’s Not Like Alcohol

Monday, April 3, 2017 the Santa Fe New Mexican published Don’t regulate marijuana like alcohol, an op-ed co-authored with Barry Logan, PhD, and Stephen Talpins, JD. The thrust of the op-ed is that, since marijuana is unlike alcohol chemically and metabolically, an impairment-based per se limit like we have for alcohol just doesn’t work for marijuana’s THC. However, there are some benefits to smoking marijuana and if you would like to find out more … READ MORE

Our bill was introduced!

It feels great to share a bit of good news.  Our DUID Data Bill was introduced into the Colorado House of Representatives by Representatives Jonathan Singer (D) and Polly Lawrence (R) April 3, 2017.  HB17-1315, “Concerning the acquisition of data to analyze DUI offenses being committed by offenders” is an important first step to eventually changing Colorado’s DUID laws which today are the weakest in the nation.  

Today, Colorado does not  collect, analyze, and … READ MORE

You can make a difference

The blog we described two weeks ago, calling upon many state legislatures to avoid making the 5 ng/ml THC legal limit mistake made already by Colorado, Washington and Montana is now up and running.

You should be concerned if you live in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or California.  Bills introduced into your state legislature would establish a 5 ng/ml THC per se limit.  Most stoned drivers test below that level and would … READ MORE

Continued rise in DUID, reports CSP

Colorado makes no effort to collect, analyze and publish DUID statistics in the state.  The state’s DUI reports cannot distinguish between causes of DUI, even though many law enforcement officers are trained to do so.

The ability to identify drugged drivers is especially true in the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) that typically writes 20-25% of the state’s DUI citations.  All  troopers are trained in ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement), which gives them more tools … READ MORE

Misleading the public – again

“Pot comments fire anxiety,” screamed a 5 column first page headline in the March 4th edition of The Denver Post, long known for its pro-pot reporting. This story was no exception, reporting on the potential effects of enforcing federal drug laws.

Although the story was purporting to be on the comments from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Press Secretary Sean Spicer that cause anxiety in the cannabis industry, nearly all of the comments quoted … READ MORE

More bad legislation

Many states are considering legislation to deal with their drugged driving problem.  The good news is that they recognize the problem.  The bad news is that many of them don’t understand it.  Particularly legislators in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.  Legislators in these states have proposed bills that would either:

  • Establish a 5 ng/ml THC per se limit for marijuana-impaired driving, or
  • Fund studies to determine what the legal blood level of
… READ MORE