Traffic
ADAC calls for information about the risks of cannabis behind the wheel
The ADAC warns of the mind-altering effects of cannabis for drivers. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
After long debates, the coalition wants to seal the legalization of cannabis. However, things are not moving so quickly as to what limits for driving should look like in the future.
The ADAC motorists’ club is warning about the planned legalization of Cannabis for intensive education about increased accident risks. “It is clear that we cannot experiment with road safety,” said a spokesman when asked. Cannabis consumption can change perception and negatively affect the ability to react. In particular, people who wanted to try cannabis as part of legalization and had not previously dealt with its mind-altering effects may not be sufficiently aware of this danger.
The Bundestag is expected to vote next week on the traffic light coalition’s legislative plans for the controlled release of cannabis. Home cultivation and possession of certain quantities should therefore be permitted for adults for their own consumption from April 1st. As of July 1st, clubs for joint cultivation of cannabis will be possible. Numerous rules and regulations are planned. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport is having a group of experts determine how a legal limit for the intoxicating active ingredient THC could be set. The results of this should be available “in the spring”.
The ADAC proposes a differentiated regulation with generally stricter requirements for novice drivers – similar to how drunk driving is dealt with during the probationary period after obtaining a driving license and for those under 21. In the case of novice drivers, the mere possibility of an effect of the intoxicating substance at 1.0 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood serum should continue to be sanctioned. Beyond this particularly vulnerable group, the goal must be to define a value “at which a deterioration in road safety is actually to be expected and not just theoretically possible.”