One in seven drivers with kids in car test positive for THC, Washington state finds

By Guy Page

As the the Vermont Legislature wrestles with the highway safety implications of marijuana “tax and regulate” legalization, a new study reports that in tax-and-regulate Washington state, one in seven drivers with kids in their cars test positive for marijuana.

The following article by the American Academy of Pediatrics was sent to Headliners by a pediatrician who has recently returned from a lengthy career overseas. The House Government Operations Committee this week has been discussing several issues related to S.54, tax and regulate marijuana bill, but has not yet taken a vote to send it to the House floor.

Nearly one in seven Washington state drivers with kids in car tested positive for THC, study indicates

NBC News reports on its website that “nearly one in seven Washington state drivers traveling with kids tested positive for THC,” according a report published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The findings suggest that “the likelihood that a motorist would test positive for THC did not appear to be altered by the presence of a child in the car: Fourteen percent traveling with a child were positive for THC, compared to 17 percent of those who were not accompanied by a child.” Furthermore, the study found that “among those who thought cannabis was ‘very likely’ to impair driving, 8.9 percent tested positive for THC,” whereas “40.6 percent of those who thought that it was ‘not very likely at all’ to impair driving” tested positive.

HealthDay reports the same study found that “only 0.2% of people driving with a child tested positive for alcohol on breath tests” and “none had levels above the legal limit.”

Statehouse Headliners is intended primarily to educate, not advocate. It is e-mailed to an ever-growing list of interested Vermonters, public officials and media. Guy Page is affiliated with the Vermont Energy Partnership; the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare; and Physicians, Families and Friends for a Better Vermont.

Image courtesy of U.S. National Guard

6 thoughts on “One in seven drivers with kids in car test positive for THC, Washington state finds

  1. the Nation is in an opioid epidemic and everyone wants a piece of the pharmaceutical companies that sold the product, they believe someone needs to pay.
    When Pot becomes the next epidemic I think we should go after every state official and elected official that signed for this bill, all for the almighty dollar, some one needs to pay for what they will do to our youth. I wonder how many would agree to the bill if they know they will lose every thing they have when it becomes an epidemic. They should think twice before making these decisions, and look to what the future will bring.

  2. They will pass it. Their just getting ready to bail for the summer hoping you’ll forget what they’ve done. Governor Scott will sign off requiring the police to have to go through a warrant process. It won’t be long and they will all be trying to figure out what went wrong.

  3. “Pot don’t hurt ya…I smoke it and I’m doing just fine.” That’s what people say, but other people see what you don’t see. It’s not medicine and there is an individual as well as a societal price to pay. We’ve got a lot of those things dragging a greater and greater percentage of our nation down. The United States can’t afford that as far as I’m concerned.

  4. Great article Guy. I believe the study cited points out a major concern and problem with marijuana legalization (promotion). That is that people are under the misconception that it is safe to use marijuana while driving when in fact it is not. Consequently they are endangering not only the general public, but their own children by driving drugged.

  5. Vermont Legislature ” wrestles ” with the highway safety implications of marijuana,
    give me a break all these incompetent fools are wrestling with is how much revenue
    are we looking at with it’s sales & taxes !!

    With all the meetings and all the data from Law enforcement & Medical Professionals,
    our astute legislators turn a blind eye to the facts ….. Agenda & Revenue is their only
    concern !!

    Oh yeah, It’s still a federal offense just in case our Legislators forgot, but they only follow
    the laws they like !!

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