Drug facility says more Coloradans are driving high

DENVER - It's been nearly seven months since stores in Colorado began legally selling marijuana and one substance abuse treatment center says it has seen a growing number of people who have been arrested for "DWH" - driving while high, reports CBS Denver.

Art Schut, interim CEO of the Arapahoe House, told the station marijuana abusers used to be a small percentage of his patients. Now, he says they are a noticeable part of the program.

He says marijuana users need to be more mindful of what they do after they have consumed the drug.

"There's this perception that I've used a little bit so it's okay. And, just in general, if you're a driver you shouldn't use anything," he told the station.

The Arapahoe House has three centers in the Denver metro area. Schut says they looked at their intake data and found that by this time in 2013, 112 people were admitted to his detox facility after DUIs involving marijuana. He has seen 197 people so far this year for the same issue, according to the station.

Schut says that if a marijuana user is issued a citation for driving under the influence it should serve as a "cause for concern that a substance use problem is emerging."

Officials with the Colorado State Patrol have not said whether they have seen a noticeable spike in marijuana abuse among Colorado drivers.