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Like to drive high? You might want to think twice about that

Colorado airs ‘Drive High, Get DUI’ marijuana ads

Colorado, the first state with legal recreational marijuana, is rolling out public-service announcements warning marijuana users about stoned driving.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is airing three television ads as part of its “Drive High, Get a DUI” campaign.

The ads will air during shows that target men between the ages of 21-34, the demographic tending to have the highest number of DUIs, according to a CDOT release.

In one ad, a man finishes installing his TV on the wall, and a moment later, the TV set falls off the wall. “Installing your TV while high is now legal,” reads the text in the ad. “Driving to get a new one isn’t.”

Colorado started selling recreational marijuana Jan. 1. The only other state legalizing recreational pot is Washington, which will start selling recreational pot this year. Nationwide, 20 states, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized medical marijuana.

“As Coloradans now have more access to marijuana, we want them to be aware that law enforcement is trained to identify impairment by all categories of drugs and alcohol,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, in a statement.

The limit for marijuana in the blood is 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood, according to CDOT.

But it’s not clear-cut how much marijuana that is exactly. Unlike blood-alcohol content, which generally correlates with weight and number of drinks, marijuana affects different people in different ways.

“One hit could put someone over the limit,” said Emily Wilfong, CDOT spokeswoman.

She added there is more than one way to consume marijuana.

“For instance,” she said, “edibles can take up to two hours before someone even starts to feel the effects.”

The campaign aims to educate the public that driving high is still considered impaired driving, she said. A September CDOT survey of 770 Coloradans found 21 percent had driven a motor vehicle after consuming marijuana sometime within the past month.

© 2014 USA Today. All rights reserved.



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