AZ Marijuana Arizona Marijuana Info
Recreational marijuana sales are booming in Arizona as tens of thousands of adults 21 and older purchase marijuana from dispensaries since Prop 207 started. However, Arizona police officers are starting to crack down on marijuana DUIs.
“If you just have marijuana in your system, that’s all it takes,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Rick Morris told AZfamily.
Unlike alcohol DUIs where a breathalyzer is used, marijuana DUIs require a blood test by a phlebotomists.
A recently proposed amendment to an Arizona bill could change marijuana-related DUIs in Arizona.
The amendment states, in part, that “it is presumed that a defendant is under the influence and impaired by marijuana if the defendant has a blood concentration of 2.0 nanograms per milliliter or more of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) within two hours of the time of driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle as shown by an analysis of the defendant’s blood.”
In Colorado, a driver will get a marijuana DUI if their blood concentration is over 5.0 nanograms, which is more than twice the proposed amount in Arizona.
Cannabis DUIs have been increasing ever since the state’s medical marijuana law was implemented.
“What I’ve seen in the last five to 10 years certainly is an uptick in clients who are calling me who have been injured in accidents with people who have used marijuana,” said attorney Marc Lamber with Fennemore Craig Law Firm.
One local attorney advised not to drive “within 12 hours of consuming marijuana.” A person could face jail time and fines if found guilty of a marijuana DUI.
Related article: 10 Steps Arizonans Should Follow If in a Traffic Accident
