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Attorneys Get Volunteers High To Demonstrate Point Of Impairment

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – How much marijuana is too much to make a person dangerous behind the wheel? Both Colorado prosecutors and defense attorneys are turning to real life demonstrations, called "Green Labs," to find out.

The Colorado legislature has created a 5 nanogram-per-milliliter (ng/ml) limit for THC, which is measured by a blood test if an officer suspects a driver is impaired by marijuana. Because the 5 ng/ml standard is so new, attorneys say most marijuana users have no idea what that number means to them.

To show the point of intoxication, defense attorney Molly Jansen set up a "Green Lab" demonstration at the iBake marijuana lounge in unincorporated Adams County. Volunteers were given varying amounts of marijuana edibles and later were asked to submit to a roadside sobriety test.

Before the demonstration, each participant -- who admitted to being a regular user -- said they didn't think marijuana would impair their driving abilities. Some even stated they drive better after using marijuana.

See how they did on the roadside tests in the video below:

In each case, the participants failed their initial roadside tests. But just an hour later, some of the volunteers were able to pass the test and were deemed capable of driving safely.

So how is this playing out in the courtroom? Not as you might expect.

 

 

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