Florida Cops Concerned About Stoned Driving If Cannabis Legalization Is Approved

As Florida voters prepare to go to the polls this November to vote on a cannabis legalization initiative, known as Amendment 3, law enforcement officials raised the specter of an increase in impaired driving, reported Fox13 News on Monday.

So Different From Alcohol

Unlike alcohol, where a breathalyzer test can easily determine a driver's level of intoxication, detecting marijuana impairment is far more challenging. Marijuana can linger in a person’s system for up to 30 days, meaning that a positive test does not necessarily indicate impairment at the time of driving. Cannabis consumption also affects different people in different ways.

“With alcohol, there is a direct correlation between your blood alcohol level and your level of impairment," said Tampa defense attorney Hunter Chamberlin. "With marijuana, that is not the case.”

Read Also: ‘Paradigm-Changing’ Cannabis Breath Test Emerges As Weed Surpasses Alcohol In Daily Use

What's To Be Done?

To help combat the cannabis driving conundrum, police rely on Drug Recognition Experts (DREs), specially trained officers who assess impairment through a variety of tests, including eye movement exams. However, Florida has only 324 DREs, noted Fox13, making it difficult to adequately cover the state’s population of 22.4 million, of whom approximately 70% are over 21.

Then There's This

Defense attorney Anthony Rickman pointed out the subjective nature of these tests. “We challenge the validity of these eye tests all the time. They rely heavily on an officer's subjective opinion, and numerous factors can influence how a person’s eyes respond,” Rickman said, according to the outlet.

Let's Take Another Look At This, Say Cannabis Proponents

Smart & Safe Florida, the committee leading the Amendment 3 initiative, argues that legalization would mitigate the risks associated with unregulated marijuana products now available in the state.

"While marijuana can impair driving abilities, the claim that legalization leads to significantly more impaired driving fatalities is not supported by evidence," per information on the committee’s website. "Proper education, enforcement of impaired driving laws, and investment in public safety measures can mitigate any potential increase in marijuana-related traffic accidents."

Researchers Weigh In

A 10-year National Institutes of Health study found that states with legalized recreational marijuana experienced a 6.5% increase in injury crashes and a 2.3% rise in fatal crashes. However, researchers noted it’s too early to fully understand the impact and stressed the need for continued monitoring.

Now Read:

• Ron DeSantis’ Anti-Cannabis Warpath Strewn With Dissenting GOP Colleagues, Not Enough Money, Polls Favoring Legalization

Photo: Courtesy of Smarteless via Shutterstock