Driving while impaired is dangerous, whether the driver is intoxicated by alcohol or high off of a drug. Regardless of the impairment, there are certain side-effects such as blurred vision, spatial disorientation, a lack of reasoning, and a dulling of the senses that may make driving extremely dangerous. Impaired drivers lose their swift reflexes and reaction times, and may not be able to reason out a dangerous situation on the road. In Colorado, lawmakers are concerned about the amount of men and women driving while compromised. Though there are certainly cases of drunk driving, a new bill wants to tackle concerns with drivers who are using marijuana and then getting behind the wheel.

According to the Denver CBS news station, authorities have proposed a marijuana blood standard which would govern DWIs in the state. The bill was approved in the state Senate thanks to one Republican senator who changed his vote. The new bill is a part of the plan to consider drivers impaired if they have 5 or more nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood. TCH is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Just like an alcohol BAC limit, this new THC limit would make marijuana users easier to incriminate and set a direct standard for how much users can consume before hopping in their vehicle. The bill underwent an emotional debate in the Senate, where it passed 18-17.

In the state of Colorado, it is already illegal to drive with marijuana in your system. Yet the THC blood limit would help to set a defining standard. According to Colorado authorities, the state needs a direct limit that can help to keep stoned drivers off the road. The new breakthroughs in medical marijuana have made this drug a more common medication that is taken by many citizens. One senator told CBS that she is sick of seeing the abuse that the state of Colorado has taken from this medical marijuana industry. Colorado legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2000, but since then has seen more collisions and complications from driving high.

Another senator who voted in support of the new bill says that the rampant use of marijuana in the state may be leading Colorado towards a "doped-driving epidemic." 15 to 20 years ago, Colorado experienced a spike in the amount of drunk drivers out on the road, and had to take measures against the rampant amount of intoxicated people out on the highways. Many in the state believe that this will be the exact same issue if marijuana users are still allowed to drive without a definitive THC limit.

In the debate on this new bill, both Democrats and Republicans rose up to stop drivers from using medical marijuana. Some opposing senators were worried that the new law might convict drivers who are legally using medical marijuana to cure an illness. Unlike alcohol, THC is a fat-soluble chemical, so the blood limits may remain above the legal limit even if the user is not impaired at the time. Some people are concerned that people who are not under the influence of marijuana could still be tested and found guilty of a DWI. Because of this, one senator attempted to add a reservation to the bill that would exempt any card-holding marijuana users from the limit. His suggestion was denied.

Currently, the bill is awaiting a final formal vote in the Senate, and then it will head to the House. The White House has encouraged all states to set a blood-level drugged driving standard, even though they haven't specified what this standard should be. Some people are concerned that the new level may give added tolerance to driving drugged in Colorado, since stoned drivers are immediately in opposition of the law without having their THC levels tested. As this bill continues to make its rounds, the state of Colorado will continue to practice its current zero-tolerance policy.