WA’s new standard for drugged driving puts patients in peril

By Jacob Sullum | Reason

A few weeks after Washington voters approved the marijuana legalization initiative known as I-502, Ronnie Payton was driving south on Highway 167 through a chilly drizzle, heading to his daughter’s place in Renton for Christmas dinner. As he passed the Interstate 405 interchange, he collided with an SUV that had merged onto the highway in front of him. Both drivers took the nearest exit and stopped in a parking lot. Although it was a minor accident, the SUV’s driver called the police because Payton’s insurance card did not list the car he was driving, which belonged to his boss.

That call resulted in Payton’s arrest for driving under the influence of a drug. He was ultimately acquitted, but only because his lawyer managed to dodge a provision of I-502 that in practice makes it illegal for medical marijuana users like Payton to drive.

at Reason.