As of: March 28, 2024, 4:47 a.m
By: Kilian Bäuml
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THC levels are not a reliable indicator of driving ability. The limit values should therefore be increased, but a new measuring method could be more helpful.
Munich – The cannabis debate has been heated since the traffic light government began. As of April 1st, the time has come: the intoxicating active ingredient THC will no longer be legally classified as a narcotic. While the question of regulations regarding possession and personal use has largely been clarified, one question regarding the legalization of cannabis is still open - what does it look like behind the wheel?
The THC limit for drivers is currently 1.0 nanograms per milliliter of blood serum. However, this value is set too low if the German Hemp Association believes that there is still room for improvement in the cannabis laws. The current THC limit is exceeded even hours and sometimes even days after consumption. Cannabis legalization could change a lot for drivers. The ADAC has a clear opinion on cannabis while driving.
In the spring, the limit value for THC as a driver will be set by Transport Minister Volker Wissing and a commission of experts. (Symbolic image) © dpa/Montage
Cannabis legalization: THC levels could be increased
A new limit for THC for drivers is expected to be decided this spring. To this end, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is consulting with a commission of experts. It is likely that the limit value for THC will be raised. This is mainly due to the long detection time of THC.
This means that drivers can still be prosecuted even if the consumption no longer has any influence on the driver's driving behavior. Transport Minister Wissing told the
Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung
: “The effect may have disappeared again while the THC content in the body is still present at an increased level.” Wissing also said: “We do not have this phenomenon with alcohol.”
Driving under the influence of THC: ADAC and experts have a clear opinion
For Wissing, “road safety is the focus”. The FDP politician emphasized that only those who “are able to completely control it and are not under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants” should drive a car. The ADAC is of the same opinion. On his website he quotes Dr. Markus Schäpe, head of the ADAC legal department, said: “As with alcohol, we need an unambiguous limit value that is based exclusively on the effects of cannabis on the road.” To ensure this, the ADAC also uses other measuring methods than that Blood test comes into play.
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Other measuring methods could be better suited to determining consumers' ability to drive and should therefore be examined, recommends the Automobile Club. One such procedure could be an analysis of the oral cavity fluid. However,
in a conversation with the editorial network
IPPEN.MEDIA
about the missing rule in the cannabis law, the ADAC emphasized: “No experimentation should be made with road safety.” This could pose a possible danger to consumers who are consuming cannabis for the first time don't know the effect. For them, the ADAC therefore recommends maintaining the previously applicable rules.
(kiba/afp)