Caught Driving With THC In Your System? Here's A Company You'll Want To Know About

If you're a cannabis consumer and among the 83% of adults who drive regularly or the 64% who drive every day, then you'll want to listen up.

Whether you're driving while high, live in one of the 24 states with legal recreational cannabis or you're a medical marijuana (MMJ) patient in one of the 38 MMJ states...it doesn't actually matter.

Why?

There is no definite or reliable scientific method of determining if a person behind the wheel is impaired because THC and cannabis metabolites stay in a person's system long after impairment has faded or disappeared. Judges overseeing DUI cases rely on police reports and assignments, which means responsible cannabis users can end up with fines, fees and other legal penalties. What’s worse is the resulting criminal record.

What Usually Happens?

“It really depends on the facts of the case, if the person has a good lawyer, and if the person has the financial means to fall back on,” said Justin Kahn, co-founder and CEO of reepher, a company that provides criminal and DUI insurance for cannabis consumers.  “Generally speaking, if the person has a good lawyer and the financial means to weather the storm, results tend to be favorable,” Kahn told Benzinga.

Drivers charged with cannabis DUIs can end up with a criminal record and the negative impact that can have on job opportunities, credit, housing options and more, Kahn continued. “I think it goes without saying that our criminal justice system as it relates to cannabis use is broken at best.”

Courtesy photo

Financial Safety Net

Kahn has been a medical marijuana patient since he was 22 after suffering a traumatic brain injury as a teenager. Even though illegal at the time in his home state of Utah, Khan says “cannabis was the only form of medicine that I found that gave me any sort of consistent relief.”

In response to the very real risk of getting slapped with a cannabis-related DUI, Kahn recruited a group of entrepreneurs and came up with the idea of reepher – a company that provides “a financial safety net for cannabis consumers if they are accused of or charged with a cannabis misdemeanor.”

Reepher, currently offers two products: 1) monthly membership that starts at $15 per month,  2) reepher48, which costs $3 per month. The former provides $15,000 coverage of legal and life disruption expenses per incident if a person is accused of or charged with a cannabis DUI. Reepher48 provides up to $1,000 to cover expenses incurred in the first 48 hours of being accused of a cannabis-related crime.

“The company covers all cannabis consumers, regardless if they have a medical card,” Kahn explained, adding that coverage is nationwide. At the moment, the company is selling insurance policies in Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Hampshire and North Dakota. 

Drive Carefully And Be Courteous If Stopped

Since there is no way for regular cannabis consumers to completely avoid getting a DUI,  Kahn advises people to know their rights and be “courteous and respectful with police and make sure that they have a plan to deal with this situation if it arises.” 

Photo: Courtesy of Kindel Media via Pexels