Help defeat bill that would make prior marijuana use an automatic DUI

A bill that seeks to punish prior use of a controlled substance with an automatic DUI conviction is being considered by the Kentucky Legislature. In February, SB 5 passed the Senate 34-1. This bill is now in the House Judiciary Committee, where it must receive a committee vote this week or it will die.

Our records show that your representative is on the Judiciary Committee, and we urgently need your help to defeat this unjust bill.  Please call your representative today in opposition to SB 5.

Like its predecessors, SB 5 cleverly attempts to bootstrap an ill-advised rule regarding all drugs onto a rule created for the purpose of measuring alcohol impairment. Under SB 5, a driver who tests positive for traces of marijuana, or any other drug, can be convicted of "driving under the influence" even if that driver is unimpaired at the time of arrest.

"Zero-tolerance" laws are more than unjust; they are scientifically unsound, which is exactly why not one single state applies such a rule to adults who use alcohol. Furthermore, these laws are even less suited for marijuana, the traces of which are detectable by drug tests for days, even weeks, after its intoxicating effects have worn off.

We need as many people calling committee members as possible, so please forward this alert to others in your community who are interested in opposing laws that are scientifically unsound. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies.