Marijuana “per se” DUI bill fails for the 3rd time in two years in the Colorado Legislature. The Colorado Senate on a tie vote failed to pass the proposed the DUI law for marijuana users in the 2012 regular session and the special session.
Impaired driving should not to be tolerated, but this bill was not the right way to address the problem. Our current DUI laws for marijuana are very strict and result in a 90% conviction rate. Currently, DUIs for marijuana are assessed on a case by case analysis where the proposed bill wanted to put a one-size fits all standard on impairment. There is some reason to believe that certain individuals patients who use topical medical marijuana cremes or salves would be considered impaired under the proposed per se law when they were actually sober.