Pubdate: Mon, 10 Mar 2014
Source: Great Falls Tribune (MT)
Copyright: 2014 Great Falls Tribune
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Website: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2502
Author: Jolie Lee, USA TODAY Network

COLORADO AIRS 'DRIVE HIGH, GET A DUI' MARIJUANA ADS

Colorado, the first state with legal recreational marijuana, is 
rolling out public service announcements warning marijuana users 
about stoned driving.

The state Department of Transportation is airing three television ads 
as part of its "Drive High, Get a DUI" campaign.

The ads appear during shows that target men ages 21-34, the 
demographic that tends to have the highest number of DUIs, according 
to a CDOT release.

In one ad, a man finishes installing his TV on the wall, and a moment 
later the TV set falls off the wall. "Installing your TV while high 
is now legal," reads the text in the ad. "Driving to get a new one isn't."

Colorado started selling recreational marijuana on Jan. 1. The only 
other state that legalized recreational pot is Washington, which will 
start selling it this year. Nationwide, 20 states, plus the District 
of Columbia, have legalized medical marijuana.

"As Coloradans now have more access to marijuana, we want them to be 
aware that law enforcement is trained to identify impairment by all 
categories of drugs and alcohol," said Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of 
the Colorado State Patrol, in a statement.

The limit for marijuana in the blood is 5 nanograms of active THC per 
milliliter of blood, according to CDOT.

But it's not clear-cut how much marijuana that is exactly. Unlike 
blood-alcohol content, which generally correlates with weight and 
number of drinks, marijuana affects different people in different ways.

"One hit could put someone over the limit," said Emily Wilfong, CDOT 
spokeswoman, in an interview with USA TODAY Network.

She added that there is more than one way to consume marijuana. "For 
instance, edibles can take up to two hours before someone even starts 
to feel the effects."

The campaign aims to educate the public that driving high is still 
considered impaired driving, Wilfong said. A September CDOT survey of 
770 Coloradans found 21% had driven a motor vehicle after consuming 
marijuana sometime within the past month.

There are still a lot of questions about whether the 5 nanogram limit 
is an accurate mark of impairment, said Mason Tvert, spokesman for 
the Marijuana Policy Project.

"Too much evidence suggests that it would result in people being 
unfairly convicted of a DUI when they're actually not impaired," Tvert said.

In Colorado, the state presumes impairment with a 5 nanogram 
THC-blood level, but the driver can rebut the charge that they were 
impaired, and a jury can still find them not guilty despite the test 
result, Tvert said.

In contrast, in Washington, a THC-blood level of 5 nanograms or more 
automatically means you are driving impaired under the law, Tvert said.
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