Will I Get a DUI if I Drive High?

Colorado was one of the first States to legalize the use of marijuana. Michigan has now followed suit and has legalized both the use of medical as well as recreational marijuana. However, in Michigan and all other states, driving under the influence of marijuana remains illegal.  If you are caught driving high in Michigan, you can be charged with operating while intoxicated (OWI), Michigan’s version of driving under the influence (DUI).

The types of PSA, public service announcements long since popular in Colorado, have not yet made it to Michigan. According to the ad campaign in Colorado, here’s what you can do in Colorado while high: grill a steak; play ball; install a TV. Here’s what you can’t do while high in Colorado: drive to get the propane you forgot; drive to see the pros play ball; drive to the store to buy a new TV.

The problem in Michigan is that there is no set standard for knowing when a person is driving high. Because of this, Michigan has considered, but so far rejected, legislation that would create standards for determining when a driver is impaired by their use of pot, such as the creation of a legal limit. This is no easy task, partly because, unlike alcohol, many drivers who are under the influence of pot are still safe on the road.

According to the Huffington Post:

In the meantime, the debate continues over how exactly pot affects drivers, as well as the best way to ensure that only drivers who are actually impaired are being issued OWI charges. While marijuana may make it more difficult for many drivers to remain alert on the road, the degree to which it impacts the user may vary depending on the driver’s frequency of use.

And, according to the Denver Post:

Two relatively new studies promise to shed more light — though not necessarily more consensus — on the debate around driving while stoned. The first, published in BMJ, the journal of the British Medical Association, shows why marijuana-impaired driving is dangerous. The second, from a University of Colorado Denver professor, questions what laws intended to crack down on stoned driving actually accomplish.

So, if this debate still exists, why then are we making driving stoned illegal? One possible answer is that as the arrest numbers for alcohol-based DUI’s continue to decline, the money the government makes on these arrests must be replaced. The government’s answer: make a driver using the second most popular drug, marijuana, guilty of the same crime!

If your life was disrupted by an arrest for driving under the influence of marijuana in Michigan, then please contact the Barone Defense Firm for your FREE no-obligation case review. Our experienced Michigan Marijuana DUI lawyers could discuss with you how we can win back your life by helping you take back your freedom, your dignity, and your control.

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