Support of National Safety Council Position on Cannabis (Marijuana) and Driving
Submitted by: DRE Technical Advisory Panel (TAP)
TAP.19.t2018
WHEREAS, the number of states, territories, and countries legalizing medical and recreational cannabis products continues to increase; and
WHEREAS, vehicle crash fatalities continue to be one of the most frequent causes of death internationally; and
WHEREAS, drugged driving and drug-related crashes, deaths, and injuries continue to occur at an alarming rate; and
WHEREAS, successful prosecution of impaired driving incidents is a necessary component of the efforts to decrease roadway injuries and deaths; and
WHEREAS, numerous states and territories have put forth, or adopted legislation creating a per se prohibited level of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in blood; and
WHEREAS, the rapid departure of THC from blood significantly challenges the use of forensic samples to represent the driver’s state at the time of driving; and
WHEREAS, numerous scientific studies fail to identify a threshold level of THC in blood as a basis for per se legislation. Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police joins with the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division in supporting that organization’s Position on Cannabis (Marijuana) and Driving publication [1], which sets forth conclusions that operating vehicles under the influence of THC increases risk of injury and death and that there is no minimum blood THC concentration below which a driver can be considered unaffected after recent consumption of cannabis products.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that all law enforcement officials, highway safety officials, and Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program coordinators, should take the position with their legislative and governing bodies that there is no scientific basis for the adoption of THC per se legislation; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that all law enforcement officials, highway safety officials, and DEC Program coordinators, should take the position with their legislative and governing bodies that impaired driving statutes should prohibit operating a vehicle under the influence of cannabis and public safety efforts should prioritize the expansion of law enforcement training in recognizing and articulating drug impairment in drivers.
