Marijuana Driving: Now Legal In California
We all live in a modern society that is slowly and yet inevitably getting rid of all the superstitions as well as prejudice. However, some things still remain unclear. For instance, why are alcoholic beverages as well as cigarettes that contain nicotine are available in just about every store, whereas cannabis that is far from being as detrimental as the above-mentioned substances, is still mostly illegal. After all, alcohol consumption does not only ruin one’s life – it easily ruins the lives of his friends and loved ones. And nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs out there and one that will not let you go easily. On the other hand, we have cannabis. Sure, it has psychotropic effects, but it will not send you to Valhalla, unlike alcohol and will not destroy your lungs completely like nicotine.
One way or the other, the recent news are actually booming with news on marijuana legalization in California. California used to be a state where medical marijuana was legalized long ago and now the state went even further. Although some people may see it as a negative thing, others indicate that after marijuana was legalized in other states, the number of marijuana driving accidents decreased significantly and this really gives hope that it will also be a factor in California.
Nevertheless, California has some very strict laws that refer to driving under the influence of alcohol or any type of psychoactive substances. Yet, there is a nuance – the law does not specify how much cannabis is allowed in one’s blood while he or she is operating the vehicle. Furthermore, it is pretty problematic to establish that limit. Hence, the attorneys are reminding that the DUI laws in this case fall under the “driving with the caution of a sober person” characteristic.
Marijuana Breathalyzer
Yet, a number of states managed to implement the special THC testing that is meant to determine if a person is “driving under the influence of marijuana”. Still, those limitations are actually ridiculous – the amount allowed THC in one’s system is so insignificantly low that it cannot even be distinguished from residual THC after using marijuana in the past. However, California intends to come up with a new kind of testing that will allow to get better and fair results. The initiative is yet to move forward for now. One thing is clear – it is absolutely, 100% legal for a medical marijuana cardholder to be driving around with cannabis, as long as he or she is not driving under the influence of that very substance.
There is also another side of the coin – in San Diego, for instance, the law enforcement authorities are actually boasting that their marijuana DUI conviction rate demonstrated a near 100% increase. In addition, they received nearly $300 000 in fines. Scientists there are also claiming that consuming marijuana in any amounts and then proceeding to operate a vehicle is absolutely detrimental and should be prohibited. Yet, other theories exist as well and they are even delivering some evidence, which is pointing out that driving under the influence of marijuana is even safer than without it.
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Sure enough, whether you are going to get in trouble while driving under the influence of cannabis is completely up to you and your very own manner of driving on the road. It is very important, crucial even, to make sure that you are not speeding, not running the traffic lights and not changing lanes frantically, since those are the most common reasons for car accidents around the country.
Although driving under the influence of cannabis is clearly controversial, some things are far more dangerous for drivers/ For example, the official statistics demonstrate a disturbing tendency – more and more people across the nation are injured or even killed because a driver was texting or talking on his or her phone while operating the vehicle.
One thing is certain – Uber is going to make more money, since more and more people will need to use its services. Furthermore, more and more people will prefer to get a cab instead of Sacramento DUI charges and taxi services are also going to increase their profits.