Pennsylvania House Members Introduce Bill To Protect Medical Cannabis Users From DUIs

If passed in Pennsylvania, medical marijuana patients would no longer be at risk of being prosecuted for DUI just because a drug test showed THC in their bodies. of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. However, this does not mean that having a card will allow you to drive while disabled, nor does it apply to people who use cannabis without a medical card.

Rather, the legislation introduced seeks to address long-standing problems since cannabis legalization. As many of our readers know, THC can appear in urine 30 days after ingestion, up to 90 days For heavy users. So arresting people for DUI because a drug test showed the presence of THC is like calling a DUI sentenced to a driver who hasn’t had a drink in a month. The bias in drug testing for cannabis, one of the safest drugs, isn’t just an issue with alcohol. cocaine leaves urine As with heroin, after about 3 days. A stimulant can hang around for 6 days. If you fail a drug test for any reason, it’s often just smoking cannabis.

Cannabis is generally found to be safe for consumption, and a recent Canadian study found that cannabis legalization did not lead to an increase in car accidents. But I can understand people worrying about disabled drivers. But under current Pennsylvania law, police can charge a driver with DUI if marijuana use is detected, regardless of the level of disability or duration of use.

“In 2016, the PA General Assembly voted to legalize the medical use of cannabis. We couldn’t give them the same privileges,” in a two-part memo from co-sponsors Rep. Chris Love (D-Philadelphia) and Aaron Kauffer (R-Louzerne). is written. . “Medical marijuana patients regularly contact our office concerned that state laws make driving illegal,” they continued.

Pennsylvania is currently (and thankfully) an outlier, one of the few states with zero tolerance for controlled substances. Thirty-three states (even those that still largely outlaw marijuana) require proof of physical disability to park a car. In the last Congress, Pennsylvania legislators introduced a similar bill, but it got caught in the quicksand of the government and did not drop out of the Transportation Commission. A further attempt to resolve this issue occurred in the State Senate. The Senate Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 167 last June. But (due to more government quicksand), the bill didn’t even get a vote in the Senate plenary session before the 2021-22 session closed.

“At a meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee last September, Pennsylvania police representatives said the bill would not adversely affect the police’s mission to keep disabled drivers off federal highways and side streets. Sen. Kamera Bartolotta (R.W.A.), a major sponsor of SB 167, said in a committee vote statement: of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. Given that more than 425,000 Pennsylvania residents have valid patient certifications that allow medical marijuana use in Pennsylvania, let’s hope this issue is resolved soon.

Rational Pennsylvania officials are now trying to make cannabis laws more rational in other ways. Senators Mike Regan (R-Cumberland) and James Brewster (D-McKeesport) earlier this year said they would use medical marijuana for all conditions instead of the state’s current medical list. He announced plans for a bill that would allow doctors to certify patients. On the map of states that have legalized adult use, Pennsylvania stands out as a stingray that has yet to do so.