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Marijuana Industry Report to Congress - Wrong!
Greetings!


We Save Lives joined with a number of organizations and sent the following letter to Congress in response to an erroneous report issued by the marijuana industry. We believe strongly that we need to continue educating our followers to the dangerous consequences of driving drugged.

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
 
Dear Senator McConnell:

After decades of steady decline, highway deaths have increased sharply over the last few years (NHTSA, FARS, 2017). Deeply concerning is the increased prevalence of drugs among drivers documented in the National Roadside Survey and among fatally injured drivers. These facts demand greater action to reduce drug-impaired driving.

Earlier this month, the House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection held a  hearing to examine this serious public safety problem. Expert witnesses highlighted the barriers to addressing the growing problem of drug-impaired driving including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Researchers have not been able to conclusively associate the level or quantity of many commonly-used drugs in the body with a person’s level of impairment to determine a scientifically-valid illegal per se limit (analogous to the .08 BAC level for alcohol).
  • Specialized law enforcement drug recognition training, augmented by developing roadside oral fluid testing, are crucial front-line tools needed to enable police to more effectively identify drug-impaired drivers.
  • The need for better data and thorough testing to accurately quantify the scope of the problem, including but not limited to, the need for another NHTSA National Roadside Survey to determine prevalence of drugged driving;
  • More training for law enforcement personnel, prosecutors and toxicology labs;
  • More research to accurately assess crash risk for drivers under the influence of drugs; and
  • Greater public education and enforcement efforts.

The Congressional hearing starkly contrasted with the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) report delivered to every Member of Congress in May, “State Cannabis Laws: A Progress Report. Successes, Challenges and the Need for Congressional Action.” The NCIA report contained one page regarding highway safety. It misreported data and perpetuated the incorrect and dangerous belief that marijuana consumption and driving does not result in driver impairment. Read More . . .
Marijuana-Impaired Driving Policy Statement
 CALL TO ACTION: Too often states seeking extra income, or under pressure from the Cannabis lobby, rush into legalizing marijuana without giving appropriate thought to the potential dangers of driving high. We Save Lives, DUID Victim Voices and High Means DUI, a project of SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, joined forces to develop policies to combat marijuana-impaired driving. These policies are recommended for all states, regardless of the legal status of marijuana use. These policies neither condemn nor support marijuana legalization, but focus only on driving impairment by marijuana and other drugs. If you are in a state that has already legalized marijuana or is considering legalization please make your legislators aware of what they need to know and do to help ensure the safety of their constituents. Read the policies.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Joins The Anti-Drugged Driving Campaign
"If You Feel Different, You Drive Different"

Would you believe their tagline is "Drive High Get a DUI?" They will be announcing their campaign on August 14th at the the Annual IACP Training Conference on Drugs, Alcohol, and Impaired Driving (DAID ) in Nashville. We Save Lives, along with other organizations have been working with NHTSA on this issue for the past several months. For more information on this campaign go to the Traffic Safety Marketing Website.
We Save Lives Welcomes Our New Partner CellSlip!

CellSlip was founded by Mitch Bain after his wife and children survived a distracted driving crash. These "slips" will block all signals on your cell phone while driving. You can buy just one or purchase them in bulk for your company, your driving class, your school, your youth group, any other group or person you care about. Mention We Save Lives and you will get a discount if ordering 100 or more. Giving a CellSlip is a great way of saying I love you and want you to be safe.
Message from the President

This is a busy month for We Save Lives. First I will be speaking at the IACP DAID conference in Nashville tis week on DUI (drunk driving vs drugged driving) or DUI vs DUID. I am working with a great team that includes Ed Woods from our partner DUID Victim Voices, Matt Myers, a Lt. and DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) with the Peachtree City Police Department and Steve Talpins, WSL board member and a former TSRP. Our panel will focus on teamwork and w hat we can do as stakeholders to support mutual drugged driving policies and goals that will lead to success. We will also discuss how these challenges differ from those of drunk driving.

Later this month, I will be speaking at the National Conference on Alcohol and Addiction Disorders in Anaheim, CA .

I continue to represent We Save Lives at the NHTSA stakeholders meetings offering our guidance on their new anti-drugged driving campaign and we continue to educate, advocate and keep the public informed of safe driving choices. Our speakers do a phenomenal job and we do all this so that you and yours will be safe . We hope we can count on you to continue investing in saving lives. Thank you!

Don't forget to please sign the petition and let our legislators know that driving high is dangerous and that they have the power to prevent drugged driving. Please share it with others. Thank you.  
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