The State Of Michigan Might Charge Medical Marijuana Patients With DUI
We all know that driving under the influence of alcohol or another drug can be very dangerous, to both ourselves and third parties. We are also very aware of the problems that we can get ourselves in to, if we are stopped by the police, while under the influence of a substance and this is why the State of Michigan decided to vote on whether or not medical marijuana patients should be charged with a DUI after having consumed this herb and the results were what most people expected.
It all started back in 2010, when Rodney Lee Koon, was stopped for driving over the speed limit, as he was going 83 mph on a 55 mph zone. After Koon was stopped by the police, he confessed to being a medical marijuana user and to having a pipe in is possession. Rodney also confessed to having smoked cannabis about five hours prior to the event and was even taken to some offices to get his blood analyzed.
The test results showed that Rodney had a very low amount of THC in his blood and this was proof that he was saying the truth, about having consumed the herb more than a couple of hours prior to the traffic stop. After this, Koon was sent to trial, as he was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance and this is not accepted by traffic laws in the State.
Koon Had Benefits For Being A Medical Marijuana Patient
At the trial, Koon was able to come out victorious, as the MMMA provided a sort of immunity to him, by not defining exactly the amount of "internal possession" of cannabis that an individual can have in their body at a certain time and the MMMA does not define the phrase "under the influence" in their regulations either, which is why Koon was able to beat the charge he was accused of.
Everything was okay, until the Michigan Court of Appeals decided that the zero-tolerance for driving under the influence of a controlled substance should be valid for this case in 2012 and now Koon might have to appear in front of the judge again and reevaluate his case.
According to Michigan's court, "while we need not set exact parameters of when a person is under the influence, we conclude that it contemplates something more than having any amount of marijuana in one's system and requires some effect on the person."
Medical Marijuana Patients Might Not Get To Drive
While there are still no studies that prove that driving under the influence of cannabis can affect how the person controls the vehicle, there is no doubt that cannabis can relax our muscles and make us see things around us differently, which is why it might be better if the zero-tolerance for driving under the influence of a controlled substance is applied for people who consume cannabis, just as it is applied for those who drink alcohol and decide to drive.
Not only will this help us to legalize cannabis around the world faster, but it will surely help to protect people who are out for a drive and those who are just walking on the streets. As you all know, here at Zip 420 we are in complete favor of marijuana being legalized for both medicinal and recreational purposes around the world, but we also think that we should do it in a reasonable way and in a form that it benefits us all the same.
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