As of: March 2, 2024, 1:57 p.m
By: Andrea Schmiedl
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According to the ADAC, the effects of cannabis while driving are not easy to predict.
Safe participation in road traffic is therefore not possible.
© Fabian Sommer, dpa
The legalization of possession and home cultivation of certain amounts of cannabis is a done deal.
But what rules regarding consumption apply on the road?
Among other things, new limit values are being discussed.
The Bundestag has decided on the
controlled release of cannabis in Germany
.
Possession and cultivation of the drug should become legal for adults with requirements on April 1, 2024.
However, anyone who consumes the drug and then drives a motor vehicle
still risks losing their driving license
.
However, experts are discussing whether other limit values could apply in the future.
The Ministry of Transport is currently having a group of experts determine how a
legal limit for the intoxicating active ingredient THC
could be set.
The results should be available in April 2024, reports
rosenheim24.de
.
In any case, the ADAC urges intensive information about
increased accident risks
.
“It is clear that we cannot experiment with road safety,” said a spokesman when asked.
Difficult to assess: What consequences does cannabis have while driving?
The
effects of cannabis while driving are not easy to predict
.
“People are careless,” says Alexander Schnaars from the ADAC.
“Safe participation in road traffic is therefore not possible.”
The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contained in cannabis is a
psychoactive substance that alters the consumer's ability to perceive and react
.
Many consumers feel downright euphoric, time seems to pass more slowly, a feeling of lightness coupled with slower movements spreads.
Hallucinations, film tears or dizziness are also possible.
Every driver can imagine what this means for road safety: speeds are misjudged, red lights are not recognized as such or pedestrians are simply not noticed.
In particular, people who wanted to try cannabis as part of legalization and had not previously dealt with its mind-altering effects may not be sufficiently aware of this danger, according to the ADAC.
What limits and penalties currently apply?
What the blood alcohol level means when driving while drunk is the
amount of THC in the blood
when it comes to cannabis .
Almost every court in Germany is currently based on the
limit of one nanogram of THC per milliliter of blood
.
For drivers caught driving after consuming cannabis, the amount of the penalty depends on how often they have been caught driving with drugs:
The first time
: 500 euros fine, two points in Flensburg, driving ban for one month.
The second time
: 1,000 euros fine, two points in Flensburg, driving ban for three months.
The third time
: 1,500 euros fine, two points in Flensburg, driving ban for three months.
Source: www.bussgeldkatalog.org
In addition,
a medical-psychological examination (MPU) is ordered
, during which the driver's fitness to drive is closely examined before he or she receives his or her driver's license back.
Smoking weed before/while driving can, under certain circumstances, be considered a criminal offense, which would result in a prison sentence in addition to the revocation of your driver's license.
That is why the limit value is being discussed
For years, experts have been arguing about whether the
limit for prohibited driving under the influence of cannabis is correct or set too low
.
Road safety and traffic law experts in Germany recommend increasing the currently permitted THC level in the blood.
The reason given by the lawyers and doctors: The limit is currently so low that it only proves cannabis consumption.
However, the current limit value does not allow
a compelling
conclusion to be drawn about an effect relevant to traffic safety .
The ADAC welcomes the federal government's plan to determine limit values for THC on a scientific basis.
Dr.
Markus Schäpe, head of the ADAC legal department: “ As with alcohol,
we need an unambiguous limit value
that is based exclusively on the effects of cannabis in traffic.”
The experts also suggest a differentiated regulation with
stricter requirements for novice drivers
- similar to how alcohol driving is dealt with during the probationary period after obtaining a driver's license and for those under 21.
In the case of novice drivers, the mere possibility of an effect of the intoxicating substance at 1.0 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood serum should continue to be sanctioned.
Beyond this
particularly vulnerable group,
the goal must be to define a value “at which a deterioration in road safety is actually to be expected and not just theoretically possible”.
This is how a traffic stop can work
In addition to specific indications such as abnormal driving style, red eyes, conspicuous pupils and - similar to alcohol - a clear smell can be indications of driving under the influence of drugs during a traffic stop.
As a rule, a
voluntary drug test
is then offered.
If the result is positive, you will be taken
to have your blood drawn
.
If you refuse the voluntary test - and the police have an initial suspicion - then a blood sample will be taken.
Therefore: Anyone who has not consumed anything should definitely agree to the voluntary test.
as/dpa