Denver, Colorado’s Rise in Marijuana-Related Traffic Accidents
In 2012, Colorado was the first state the in U.S. to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Unfortunately, this has made driving under the influence of marijuana (“drugged driving” or DUID) more prevalent all over our state, resulting in more accidents, more injuries, and more fatalities. If you or a loved one have been injured by a driver under the influence of marijuana, reach out to our Denver personal injury lawyers to identify legal options to pursue compensation.
Attorney Dan Caplis has been a leader in Denver, Colorado in exposing the explosion of injuries and deaths caused by Marijuana related driving, and Dan has successfully represented the victims of many serious accidents caused by drivers under the influence of marijuana.
Get more than three decades of proven legal experience on your side. Call our Denver DUID accident attorneys at (303) 770-5551 today.
Current DUID Law: How Does Denver, Colorado Test for Driving While High?
When it comes to driving, cannabis is a regulated substance just like alcohol is. Colorado DUI Code 42-4-1301 is our “driving under the influence” statute and provides criminal penalties for convicted drivers. Colorado law enforcement has two main methods to test a driver they suspect is high: a blood test and a drug-specific sobriety test.
Under current Colorado law, there is a presumption that a person is driving under the influence if their blood contains 5 or more nanograms of active THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis). But a driver may actually be impaired by THC at much lower levels than that, and Dan Caplis Law utilizes highly respected expert witnesses to identify marijuana impaired driving at various levels.
Sobriety tests designed to detect marijuana-use include the one-leg-stand and evaluation of allergies or irritation, such as redness in the eyes. Some drug users believe Colorado has no effective method of detecting impairment, but many law enforcement officials and Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) are fully trained and certified in programs such as Advanced Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE).
If you or a loved one have been involved in a drunk driving accident, contact our Denver drunk driving attorneys today.
Debunking Myths: The Dangers of Driving High in Denver, Colorado
Marijuana is often lauded as “safer” than alcohol and that conception is wrongly extended to when recreational and medical marijuana users get behind the wheel. In fact, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), a shocking 55% of CO marijuana users said that they believed it was safe to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of cannabis in 2016.
Our Denver distracted driving attorneys recognize the effect that marijuana can have on drivers and is well-documented not just by research from here in the U.S., but from all over the world, as well.
Marijuana is now known to have many negative effects on drivers including:
- Delayed reaction times
- Decreased motor functions
- Impaired judgment
You don’t have to look far to realize that marijuana has had a dramatic effect on our roadways here in Colorado. CDOT reports that in 2016, more than 17% percent of impaired driver accidents involved marijuana. According to a report from The Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, in the three years since recreational marijuana has been legalized in our state, marijuana-related deaths on the road have increased by 48%—and the frequency in which marijuana was involved in fatal accidents has doubled from 2010 to 2016.
If you or a loved one have been involved in a car crash resulting from an individual driving under the influence of marijuana, contact our car accident lawyers in Denver today.
Clarifying the Legal Standards for Marijuana DUIs in Denver
One of the challenges of legally parsing traffic accidents that involve marijuana is the surrounding controversy over the standards used to enforce sober driving. Colorado has maintained the “five nanograms of THC” standard when evaluating these cases, but scientists and advocates continue to argue that marijuana cannot be measured in the same way that alcohol does when it comes to impaired driving.
This is because THC is processed differently than alcohol by the human body. Relatively speaking, alcohol is processed quickly, while THC is fat-soluble and remains in the body longer. For a detailed look at the latest science and what makes DUID so difficult to detect and enforce, see this 2016 report from NPR.
Denver DUID Accident Attorney: A Champion for Victims’ Rights
Regardless of whether or not the criminal charges against a marijuana-influenced driver are successful, victims may have a valid civil claim against them. For more than three decades, our award-winning Denver DUID accident attorney, Dan Caplis, has been pursuing and securing financial relief for victims of drunk and impaired driving. Our firm knows what it takes to substantiate liability in these cases—including marijuana-related cases, where the understanding of its effects on drivers continues to come into focus.
We will work with local, national, and even international experts on this topic in order to illustrate a driver’s liability in these cases and draw a definitive line of causation between the driver’s actions and our clients’ injuries. Attorney Dan Caplis is not only nationally-trusted legal authority on catastrophic injury suits but also recovered the largest personal injury verdict in the state of Colorado in 2015.
The time to take action is now—and Dan Caplis Law and our Denver DUID accident attorneys are ready to assist you. Contact us for a Free Consultation today.