Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana and Alcohol Presents Major Problems

With the push for marijuana legalization in parts of the country, many new ways of ingesting the drug are coming onto the market. Users can now purchase vaporizer pens (very similar to e-cigarettes) that make smoking the drug easier to do in public situations. In addition to the pens, users always have the option of ingesting marijuana through food. Making marijuana accessible in these forms poses a new problem for law enforcement – the potential for more people to be operating vehicles while under the influence is likely to increase. In fact, now that marijuana is starting to become legal in some states, new laws and more precautions will need to be taken in order to minimize the amount of people driving under the influence of marijuana. Perhaps even more dangerous are those who ingest marijuana and consume alcohol at the same time.

A 2013 study showed that people were two times more likely to crash if they were under the influence of drugs. If a person is under the influence of alcohol they are fourteen times more likely to be involved in a car accident. If a person is under the influence of drugs and alcohol they are 23 times more likely to be involved in a vehicular crash.

A Colorado man knows first-hand how mixing substances impairs a driver, according to reports. Eleven days after the state made marijuana legal; he crashed his vehicle into a row of police cars. He was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol at the time of the crash. Being under the influence of alcohol and getting behind the wheel is commonly known as deadly – drunk driving accounts for one-third of traffic-related deaths. Mixing drugs like marijuana and alcohol has the potential to surpass drunk driving in overall consequences though.

Now that marijuana is becoming more common place it is necessary to look into preventing more and more impaired drivers from hitting the roads. If users can now consume marijuana using a form of an e-cigarette what will stop them from using it in a bar while they are having some drinks?

This information shows that people don’t have to be “wasted” to be extremely dangerous on the roads. The combination of even small amounts of alcohol and marijuana combined create a very lethal situation behind the wheel.

Blake Nichols

Blake Nichols is the Director of Operations at Desert Cove Recovery. Blake battled his own addiction to drugs and alcohol and was given the gift of recovery at the age of 23. Since 2008, Blake has dedicated his life and career to the field of addiction. He has experience in all aspects of addiction treatment including direct care, admissions, marketing, and administration.

Blake feels that the greatest reward of working in the recovery field is being part of the transformation that a person goes through from the time they arrive and begin treatment, through the hard work and the Miracle of recovery, and ultimately the change into a confident and capable person ready to carry the message of recovery.

“My career has focused on serving others. I have accepted ownership of my responsibilities as that is the key to working at the highest level of professionalism. I have worked to be positive and offer solution-based suggestions in my work and personal life.”