As of: March 25, 2024, 9:15 p.m
By: Julia Cuprakova
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Cannabis is becoming legal, but what does that mean for road traffic?
Traffic experts face an unresolved challenge.
The Federal Republic is currently experiencing a change in drug policy.
The legalization of cannabis for adults will come into force in Germany on April 1, 2024.
The law allows the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use under certain conditions, as
echo24.de
already reported.
But this also means that cannabis consumers will take part in road traffic in the future.
And that's exactly what the traffic experts from TÜV, ADAC and German Traffic Watch are very worried about.
Because a lot is still unclear and unregulated.
Cannabis use and driving: traffic experts are concerned
Cannabis won't be partially legalized until April 1, but let's be honest, users have always been driving.
Although most cannabis users may have waited to drive until after the peak of their high, many or some of them have driven before.
So why should there be more accidents?
Precisely because it will soon be legal to drive while high, it is possible that some users will not wait for the high to wear off and will still get behind the wheel - similar to alcohol.
In contrast to alcohol, there is currently no limit for cannabis where driving can be punished.
In addition, the police and consumers themselves have no reliable test to determine how high someone is.
“We have no plan on how to deal with this now,” says a police officer to “focus.de”.
The Federal Ministry of Transport also reports that a working group is currently working on setting the limit value.
A sporty schedule, after all, April 1st, the day of the partial release, is already a week away and is in the middle of the Easter holidays.
German Traffic Watch (DVW) criticizes – “THC is not broken down linearly”.
While cannabis consumers or those who want to become one are concerned with the question of whether they are allowed to buy cannabis seeds and where they can get them, the German Traffic Watch (DVW) is dealing with the issue of “smoking weed while driving”.
The DVW makes a clear statement: smoking weed and driving don't go together any more than drinking and driving do.
Driving under the influence of cannabis is currently an administrative offense under Section 24a StVG and possibly a criminal offense under Section 316 StGB. In the DVW's opinion, what is relevant for road traffic and road safety is whether and what effects future legal cannabis consumption will have on the ability to drive and the risk of accidents has.
The DVW also points out the special features of cannabis compared to alcohol:
In contrast to alcohol, the cannabis active ingredient THC is not broken down linearly in the body.
“There is no proven dose-response or concentration-effect relationship for THC as there is for alcohol,” says the traffic police.
Cannabis consumption always impairs the ability to concentrate and psychomotor performance.
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Accident after cannabis consumption – insurance may not pay
One thing cannabis consumers should really worry about, however, is not how best to grow cannabis, but car insurance.
Anyone who causes an accident with THC in their blood will risk losing their insurance coverage even after legalization.
“The motor vehicle liability insurance then pays the accident victim’s damages in full, but takes recourse against the person who caused the accident.
Comprehensive insurance can reduce its benefits or even refuse them entirely,” writes the car magazine “Motor1”.
So it remains exciting to see what rules, penalties and controls will apply to cannabis users behind the wheel in the future.
By the way: Many cannabis users don't want to be called "potheads"; many people find the word "hurtful".