Too high to drive? Lawmakers consider pot DUI limits

Web Staff with The Associated Press

10:33 a.m. PST, February 20, 2011

DENVER -- State lawmakers are considering setting a blood-test standard for what constitutes driving under the influence of marijuana.

It is illegal in all states to drive while impaired by drugs, but only a few states have set a measurable benchmark for how much marijuana you can have in your system to be charged with a DUI.
The bipartisan proposal from Reps. Claire Levy and Mark Waller would set a limit of 5 nanograms of Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

THC would have to be present within two hours of someone being pulled over to constitute a DUI offense.

Colorado's 5-nanogram proposal would be one of the most liberal in the country. Nevada and Ohio have a 2-nanogram limit.

Some medical marijuana advocates fear they'll be unfairly targeted, but Levy says the bill is about public safety.