Question

home / study / social sciences / psychology / psychology questions and answers / 1. Marijuana Has Been Legalized In Several States. Some People Believe This Has Resulted In ... Your question has been answered Let us know if you got a helpful answer. Rate this answer . Question: 1. Marijuana has been legalized in several states. Some people believe this has resulted in an in... 1. Marijuana has been legalized in several states. Some people believe this has resulted in an increase of impaired drivers on the road and that traffic fatalities have increased as a result. While some drug tests taken at the scene of accidents do indicate the presence of marijuana, such tests only reveal that the drug has been used -- they do not indicate actual intoxication, as indicators of marijuana use can stay in the system for days or even weeks after actual use. This is unlike alcohol, where a roadside test is a clear indicator in most cases of intoxication. What are some likely ethical issues arising from such testing? If people are using marijuana for medical reasons, they will most likely test positive for the drug's presence all the time, yet they will need to be able to drive. How can a "legal limit" be reasonably set if intoxication is not measured by certain tests?

Answer 1

The main ethical issue that results from marijuana testing is its inability to track the amount of THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) present in the intoxicated individual’s body. Whether an individual consumes negligible or large amounts of marijuana will test positive when tested. To tackle this issue, perhaps other methods such as Drug Influence Evaluation (DIE) can be used, in which a trained Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) looks for physiological manifestations of drug use. Such methods would be helpful in determining the extent of impairment that has occurred to to drug use, allowing for more accurate estimates of the same.