AAA Oklahoma Warns Of Driving Under The Influence Of Marijuana After New Study Released

Thursday, June 20th 2019, 6:22 pm

By: News 9

As more states legalize medical marijuana, more people are admitting to driving while being high. That’s according to a study released Thursday by AAA.

AAA Oklahoma and state law enforcement are warning of the dangerous impact marijuana has while driving, and what they’re doing to combat the rising issue.

According to the new study, nearly 70% of Americans think it's "unlikely" a motorist will be busted for driving while high on marijuana.

The study also found that in the last 30 days, almost 15 million drivers have gotten behind the wheel of a car within an hour of smoking, injecting or covering themselves with a marijuana product.

“So clearly, we have a disconnect in our understanding of the impact of marijuana on driving. It greatly disrupts the brain and it functions in terms of reaction times, perception of time and space. Even motor skill and coordination are impacted,” said Leslie Gamble with AAA Oklahoma.

Even though there is no "breathalyzer" test for marijuana, there are signs officers are now being trained to look for.

“Certain Officers are especially trained to spot the impairment from drugs specifically. And those officers are called Drug Recognition Experts,” said Director of the Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence, Kevin Behrens.

There are now 180 trained Drug Recognition Experts throughout the state. Officials also mention that the Oklahoma statutes have a zero-tolerance policy for THC in a person's blood while they're driving.

“Impairment is impairment,” Behrens said.

If you’d like additional information, click here https://aaafoundation.org/.