[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/driving-influence-medical-marijuana\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/driving-influence-medical-marijuana\/","headline":"Driving Under The Influence Of Medical Marijuana In Philadelphia","name":"Driving Under The Influence Of Medical Marijuana In Philadelphia","description":"Medical marijuana is a controversial issue that has created a new and developing area of law. Because DUI laws vary widely with respect to marijuana, it is important to hire an\u00a0experienced attorney\u00a0if you are charged with DUI as a result of medical marijuana. Across the country,...","datePublished":"2017-06-27","dateModified":"2021-12-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/author\/brianzeiger\/#Person","name":"Brian Zeiger, LLC","url":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/author\/brianzeiger\/","identifier":12,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cb403eca94a17a864a2072734e4c5daa47399fd028c5fabaa5499fc0d7c474cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cb403eca94a17a864a2072734e4c5daa47399fd028c5fabaa5499fc0d7c474cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Zeiger Firm","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/logo.png","url":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/logo.png","width":257,"height":59}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Driving-Under-the-Influence-of-Medical-Marijuana0A.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Driving-Under-the-Influence-of-Medical-Marijuana0A.jpeg","height":592,"width":900},"url":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/driving-influence-medical-marijuana\/","about":["Driving Under The Influence"],"wordCount":487,"articleBody":"Medical marijuana is a controversial issue that has created a new and developing area of law. Because DUI laws vary widely with respect to marijuana, it is important to hire an\u00a0experienced attorney\u00a0if you are charged with DUI as a result of medical marijuana.Across the country, medical marijuana laws fall into a few general categories:9 states have zero tolerance laws for both THC and its metabolites. (Metabolites are the chemical result of marijuana being processed by the body. Because they occur later in the metabolization process, they appear on blood and urine tests later after use. A positive test for THC indicates more recent use than a positive test for metabolites.)3 states have zero tolerance for THC, but no restrictions on metabolites.5 states have specific limits for marijuana use while driving. (These are known as \u201cper se\u201d limits, by which the law infers that a driver\u00a0was\u00a0impaired if he or she was found to be above the specified limit.)Colorado has a \u201creasonable inference\u201d law for THC.Pennsylvania has zero tolerance laws for certain specified drugs. However, the possession and use of marijuana are legal for medical purposes. The Commonwealth has therefore set a per se limit of one nanogram of THC per milliliter of blood.The Controversy Surrounding Per Se LimitsThe most basic problem with marijuana impairment laws is that there is simply not any research to indicate what a standard impairment level might be. Alcohol impairment has been studied extensively for decades, and the .08 impairment level has been repeatedly corroborated by the scientific method. Marijuana is different:Unlike alcohol, which dissolves in water, THC dissolves in fat. Fatty tissues \u2013 and the brain in particular \u2013 absorb THC readily.THC blood levels do not uniformly rise and fall based on the amount of THC entering and leaving bodily fluids. This makes it difficult to correlate impairment to the amount of THC in a blood sample.Chronic THC users store the chemical in fatty tissues. Because THC is so slow to absorb, it can leach into the body for weeks after the user last smoked. This, too, is not an accurate metric of impairment. (It is also different from chronic alcohol users, as alcohol is not stored in the body.)For all these reasons, many opponents have questioned the validity of \u201cper se\u201d limits for medical marijuana in driving impairment laws.\u00a0One Denver attorney\u00a0claimed that Colorado\u2019s five nanogram limit was \u201cpicked out of thin air by politicians\u201d. Indeed, there is not a solid scientific foundation to support a five nanogram limit \u2013 or even a one nanogram limit, such as Pennsylvania\u2019s.Contact an Experienced Philadelphia DUI Lawyer\u00a0TodayIf you have been charged with\u00a0driving under the influence\u00a0of medical marijuana, alcohol, or any other substance, contact the\u00a0Zeiger Firm. Call (215) 546-0340 today to schedule your consultation.\u00a0Attorney Brian Zeiger will fight for you to ensure the justice system treats you fairly."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Driving Under The Influence Of Medical Marijuana In Philadelphia","item":"https:\/\/brianzeiger.com\/blog\/driving-influence-medical-marijuana\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]