Marijuana driving limits have won unanimous approval in a Colorado legislative committee. Lawmakers from both parties say voters who want pot to be treated like alcohol should accept similar blood limits for drivers.
The stoned-driving bill cleared the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 11-0 Tuesday, after more than five hours of debate about the best way to tell whether a driver is too stoned to be behind the wheel.
After hearing testimony from law enforcement and a toxicologist, House members agreed drivers are too stoned if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter.
The limit strikes some as arbitrary and unfair, as reported in the Daily Camera.
Those who oppose the bill claim 5 nanograms is far too low because many regular pot smokers — especially medical marijuana patients — will often have at least that amount of THC in their system. So, by law, they'd lose their driving privilege under this bill.
After one more committee vote in the House, the marijuana driving bill heads to the full chamber. The bill faces a bigger test in the Senate, where stoned-driving bills have failed in the past.
