Colorado and Washington made national news in 2012 when they legalized recreational marijuana use. However, with recreational pot use, comes stoned driving. Stoned driving has become such a problem in Colorado that state officials have spent $1 million on a television ad campaign to stop the practice, reports The Washington Post.

The ad campaign, appropriately titled the “Drive High, Get a DUI” campaign, is the state's first effort to remind drivers that marijuana is treated like alcohol when it comes to driving. Colorado officials believed that many individuals were simply unaware that if your driving is impaired by pot use, you could be charged with driving under the influence. The hope of officials is that with education and enforcement, the problem of stoned driving will be minimized.

Since the state began keeping track, about half the DUI arrests made by the Colorado State Patrol were related to marijuana-impaired drivers.

In Washington, stoned driving has also been a growing problem since recreational marijuana use was legalized. Last year, more than 1,300 drivers tested positive for marijuana. That was a 25 percent increase from the previous year. While the Washington State Patrol has engaged in some general DUI targeted patrols, there has not been a similar campaign to the Drive High, Get a DUI advertisement campaign in Colorado. As a result, there may still be a lot of drivers unaware that marijuana usage could result in a DUI charge.

If you have been arrested for driving under the influence of pot, you should know that you face very serious penalties. To learn about the charges you face as well as your available options, you will want to talk to an experienced King County DUI attorney. To learn how an attorney at Wolff Criminal Defense can help you, contact us by calling 425-284-2000.