Sunday, November 25, 2012

"Marijuana is new? Washington State DUI testing plans-"

Photo- Port Hadlock Transit Center

Oak Bay Starfish:

Asking a few questions here is not to defend operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, legal or illegal drugs or marijuana.

“Marijuana consumed within the past seven to 10 days usually triggers a positive result, said Swedish’s Dr. Ray Jarris. In the future, tests — such as oral swabs — may be able to more precisely pinpoint recent usage, but not yet, he said.”

With pot legal, police worry about road safety
“We’ve had decades of studies and experience with alcohol,” said Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon. “Marijuana is new, so it’s going to take some time to figure out how the courts and prosecutors are going to handle it. But the key is impairment: We will arrest drivers who drive impaired, whether it be drugs or alcohol.”
Marijuana is new?
Nonsense.
Medical marijuana has been here since 1998.
Has I-692 caused problems on the highways?
If this is an honest concern- what has the state been waiting on?
People have been able to get behind the wheel after using marijuana for decades.
This would remain so- even if recreational use of marijuana never became legal.
Maybe the Washington State Patrol sees this as a non-issue.

My view is that traffic safety professionals should initiate recommendations on speed limits, guard rails, road signs, traffic lights, DUI protocols, etc.
A new testing protocol is now forced on the traffic safety professionals of our state by the voters.
Where is the marijuana related accident data of the past 20 years?
If there has been a problem on the roads- why has Washington State Patrol made no recommendations on how to address the situation?

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