Hawaii lawmakers ask how much marijuana OK before getting behind wheel

While Hawaii prepares for the oncoming medical marijuana dispensaries, legislators debate the key issue of drugged driving and where the legal limit should be. Each marijuana-legal state has created policy of their own, including what they consider to be the limit for impairment. With limited research, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where that impairment begins, especially with THC staying in the user's system for days, or even weeks. But while the world waits for the US to federally legalize marijuana, allow proper research, and create nationwide policy, state legislators are forced to deal with limited knowledge to create mediocre policy. Hawaii legislators are asking the Department of Health to study the limits of driving under the influence and passing on the discussion to the Committee of Health.

The state Department of Health opposed the resolution, saying the department doesn't have the capacity to study the complicated question, especially because the resolution didn't include funding. The department's director, Virginia Pressler, said in written testimony that The National Institute on Drug Abuse has been studying this issue for many years and hasn't been able to establish a recommended level for driving.