A survey of 315 college freshman found that over half of the male students and over a third of the female students had rode in a car with a driver high on marijuana, reports The Boston Globe. About 44 percent of males and nine percent of females said that they themselves had driven high in the study published last week.

As a result of these findings, some are saying that teens and young adults need to be educated about the dangers of driving high similar to the education that already exists about drunk driving. This may help counteract a perception that many students may hold that marijuana is a harmless drug with no real serious side effects.

To support this notion that teens may believe that driving high is less serious than driving drunk, the study also found that far fewer students would drive drunk. Only eleven percent of male students and three percent of female students admitted to driving drunk.

As part of the education, drivers should be aware that marijuana does have real effects on someone's ability to drive safely. For example, someone high on marijuana may exhibit:

• Slower reaction times
• Trouble timing moving objects such as cars and pedestrians
• Inability to perform multiple tasks at the same time
• Decreased awareness of their own impairment

Contact a Seattle DUI Attorney

If you have been charged with driving under the influence of marijuana, you will want to contact an experienced attorney. Washington makes it a crime to drive impaired by pot or to have a THC level above five nanograms. A DUI conviction can have severe consequences on your life, and an attorney at Wolff Criminal Defense can help explain your options. Call us at 425-284-2000 to learn more.