The Colorado Senate voted down House Bill 1261, which would have established a legal limit to the amount of THC a driver can have in their systems.
The Bill proposed setting a 5 nanogram of THC per milliliter of blood limit and anything above this limit would constitute driving under the influence of marijuana. Colorado lawmakers on both the right and left felt the science was not strong enough to impose a nanograms limit on marijuana users and therefore killed the bill.
Proponents of medical marijuana feared that House Bill 1261 would have intruded on medical treatment. People who regularly use marijuana will have 5 nanograms of THC in their systems many hours after they have used the drug and long after any effects of the THC have faded.
Driving under the influence of marijuana – or any drug – is still illegal in Colorado. However, prosecutors will have to prove impairment in order to sustain a conviction and not just rely on a number.
