Letter: Don't raise THC intoxication limit

The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) consistently advocates for appropriate changes in Illinois laws regarding impaired driving. AAIM (along with other safety advocacy groups) is voicing a strong opposition to House Bill 218 (HB218), which would amend the Illinois Vehicle Code and compromise public safety. This bill was drafted without the input of numerous traffic safety experts and without public debate.

This legislation proposes using 25ng in saliva/15ng in blood as definition of impairment by THC. This limit is significantly higher than any other state or country with a defined legal limit. For example Colorado uses 5 ng/mL (blood) as its definition of legal impairment.

Research supports impairment by cannabis starts at considerably lower levels. By using this arbitrarily higher limit, people will think that they can consume significant quantities before they will be held responsible. This bill as written may cause more impaired driving, more deaths and serious injuries on Illinois roads.

I agree with AAIM's urging our state legislature to reconsider the implementation of this unreasonably high 'legal impairment' limit for cannabis -

and send HB218 back to committee. We need input from Illinois safety experts, toxicologists and citizens alike. More public debate will assure the law is based on science and promotes public safety. I urge everyone to contact their legislator regarding this issue.

This bill' s proposed limit would be the highest such limit in the United States and is not supported by science. I hope the legislature will give this issue serious consideration and reassess this legislation after more public debate.

Charles Nozicka, board of directors

Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists Libertyville