Post by Logan on Mar 10, 2016 22:12:47 GMT -6
Lawmakers remain divided over a bill that seeks to establish a blood level limit to determine whether a driver is impaired from marijuana use.
The Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 7-4 Thursday in favor of rejecting the bill after voicing concerns that setting a legal limit for THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, would not be an accurate measure of impairment because the drug affects people differently and it lingers in the blood long after its psychoactive effects have disappeared.
A minority of the committee believes the state needs to establish testing protocols to ensure police and prosecutors are equipped to handle what a recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found was a marked increase in the percentage of drivers testing positive for marijuana.
The debate reflects policy discussions in other states as they grapple with efforts to legalize recreational or medicinal use of marijuana. Maine already has a medical marijuana law. A bid to legalize recreational use could appear before voters in November, pending a decision by a Superior Court justice on whether supporters submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot question.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/03/10/maine-lawmakers-spurn-marijuana-oui-bill/
The Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 7-4 Thursday in favor of rejecting the bill after voicing concerns that setting a legal limit for THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, would not be an accurate measure of impairment because the drug affects people differently and it lingers in the blood long after its psychoactive effects have disappeared.
A minority of the committee believes the state needs to establish testing protocols to ensure police and prosecutors are equipped to handle what a recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found was a marked increase in the percentage of drivers testing positive for marijuana.
The debate reflects policy discussions in other states as they grapple with efforts to legalize recreational or medicinal use of marijuana. Maine already has a medical marijuana law. A bid to legalize recreational use could appear before voters in November, pending a decision by a Superior Court justice on whether supporters submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot question.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/03/10/maine-lawmakers-spurn-marijuana-oui-bill/