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A new report from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area suggests that stoned driving remains a big problem that’s getting bigger, with fatalities increasing 100 percent from 2007 to 2012. Stats about teen pot use in the report are also considerably more negative than those in at least one other recent state-sponsored survey.
But the stats are based on testing drivers not for active THC — which would at least imply impairment — but instead are testing for THC metabolites that don’t cause any impairment and can stay in the body for up to a month. In short: the test don’t show impairment, only that the person had used cannabis at some time in the last three to four weeks. But never mind the facts, Colorado cops want you to believe it’s a stoned bloodbath out there.
Earlier this week, we shared a Washington Post item that found this year’s legalization of recreational marijuana sales has not led to more traffic fatalities. Regarding the Washington Post piece, Tom Gorman, RMHIDTA director, believes it’s suspect on a number of counts. For one thing, he notes that traffic fatalities have been on a downward trend for the past six years due to a slew of factors, including reduced driving due to economic conditions and better safety devices in cars.
Moreover, the 2014 numbers are “raw data — not official,” he argues.
Read more at the Denver Westword.