A three-year long experiment designed and administered by the federal government to identify the level of marijuana that impairs drivers, concluded this past spring. According to a USA Today article, scientists are now studying the 250 variables checked by the experiment. This federal research is expected to lead to specific guidelines on impaired driving based on marijuana levels.
Per the article, the test involved having 19 volunteers consume specific combinations of marijuana and alcohol, or a placebo before “driving” for approximately 40 minutes in a driving simulator. According to the article, the simulator “can mimic the look and feel of everything from urban parking lots to darkened gravel roads. Deer jump out unexpectedly. Passing cars swerve.”
The article specifies that the study is similar to those conducted to develop the blood alcohol levels for drunken driving.
The initial data from the experiment is expected to be available by October of this year and should help regulators determine legally acceptable limits. In the meantime, the article indicates that states like Colorado, which has legalized recreational and medical marijuana, and their neighbor, Wyoming, are taking measures such as increasing the number of street police officers who are experts in drug recognition.
