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OTHER VIEWS Impaired voting; Whether driving high increases accidents isn't known Comment By The (Eugene) Register-Guard MailTribune.com By The (Eugene) Register-Guard Posted Sep. 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM By The (Eugene) Register-Guard Posted Sep. 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News Voters who are hoping for some clarity on the question of whether legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Oregon will make our roads less safe aren’t likely to get it anytime soon. Scientists who’ve studied the question worldwide have yet to determine to what extent driving while high is dangerous, and, if it is, how to fairly and accurately determine when someone who’s been smoking or eating pot is too impaired to get behind the wheel. It’s a question that looms large for many Oregonians as the Nov. 4 general election approaches. Measure 91, if approved, would allow the possession, manufacture and sale of marijuana to adults, subject to state licensing, regulation and taxation. Most of the studies done thus far have produced conflicting results about impaired driving, or are at best inconclusive. The most comprehensive study, being conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, finished its field testing this past spring and is expected to have some initial data to report next month. Impaired driving by people who’ve smoked or ingested marijuana is being carefully watched in Colorado and Washington state, where selling recreational pot is legal. Washington reported a jump of nearly 25 percent in drivers testing positive for marijuana last year but there was no corresponding increase in car accidents or fatalities. Similarly, the top expert in impaired driving in Colorado told USA Today he’s yet to see any major increase in the number of stoned drivers there. Studies have shown that marijuana can slow decision-making, decrease peripheral skills and impede multi-tasking, so it seems common sense that smoking or eating it would make it risky to drive a motor vehicle. But there’s also evidence that drivers who have consumed marijuana — unlike drivers who’ve consumed alcohol — are aware they’re impaired and compensate for it by driving slower and more carefully. As murky as the question of whether people who are high on pot are a danger on the highway is the question of what to do about it if they are. Blood tests, which can clearly indicate impairment from alcohol consumption, aren’t as sure-fire when it comes to marijuana because the level of THC (the ingredient that produces the high) in the blood peaks about 10 minutes after the marijuana’s consumed, and traces of it can remain in the body for days after any impairment has gone. Urine testing can also detect the presence of THC, but for as long as a month, which makes it useless in fixing blame for impairment. This past spring a young driver who had been smoking marijuana collided head-on with another car on Highway 26 in Clatsop County. Tests showed an inactive form of THC in his blood but not the psychoactive type. District Attorney Josh Marquis, a staunch opponent of Measure 91, charged the young man with assault and driving under the influence but the jury reduced the assault charge to third- and fourth-degree assault and he was sentenced to four years in prison. “In fairness,” Marquis told The Oregonian newspaper, “I can’t say this guy was entirely under the influence of marijuana.” Voters casting ballots on Measure 91 aren’t likely to know whether decriminalizing recreational pot will result in more marijuana-impaired drivers. Given the lack of clear evidence to date, it appears they’re simply going to have to go with their gut instincts. By The (Eugene) Register-Guard MailTribune.com By The (Eugene) Register-Guard Posted Sep. 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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