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Spotted: NHTSA addresses lack of clarity on cannabis-impaired driving.
Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, within the Department of Transportation, published a notice in the Federal Register regarding proposed rulemaking “to develop performance requirements and require that new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology through a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS).”
While cannabis only comes up briefly, the manner in which it does yet again puts a spotlight on the conundrum posed by cannabis-impaired driving. Or, more specifically, by the fact that no one has yet figured out how to define it.
Here is what they wrote:
“Recently, more research has been directed to the effects of cannabis, and specifically Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of cannabis that can cause impairing effects on driving that might lend themselves to the development of THC-impaired driving detection techniques, like those that have been developed by NHTSA for use by law enforcement for alcohol-impaired driving.
However, many of these effects may also be caused by alcohol, other drugs, and other impairment states like distraction, drowsiness, and incapacitation. Current knowledge about the effects of cannabis on driving is insufficient to allow specification of a simple measure of driving impairment outside of controlled conditions.”
In Kentucky, medical cannabis slowly takes shape.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and regulators made a series of announcements yesterday about the state’s medical cannabis program.
“Today, we’re taking another step forward in advancing legalized medical cannabis in the Commonwealth,” Beshear said during his first “Team Kentucky” briefing of the new year.
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services released regulations yesterday related to the entire supply chain, from growing and selling to testing and packaging. (You can see those here.)
Also, the Board of Physicians and Advisors and the Medical Cannabis Workgroup wrote to lawmakers last month to recommend that the list of qualifying conditions be expanded. (You can read their letters here and here, respectively.)
And, finally, regulators announced that they released a “Zoning Tool” to help forthcoming business applicants to determine compliance. (It’s not clear when, exactly, this tool was launched, but you can see it here.)
Will Mexico move?
Mexico’s Senate president announced this week plans to take another swing at regulating cannabis for adult use.
However, if you’ve been following Cannabis Wire’s coverage of Mexico over the years, you’d know that there have been plenty of stops and starts. And, Mexico’s presidential election is in June (which, as is the case in any election year, means plenty of political uncertainty).
So, TBD.