The highway-safety question du jour is not whether police officers support or oppose the legalization of either marijuana or medical marijuana. After all, the legalization of medical marijuana with varying provisions has occurred in 20 states and the District of Columbia since 1996 and is currently pending in 4 more states, even though marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remain classified as Schedule I controlled substances under U.S. law.1
Recreational marijuana sales became legal in both Colorado and Washington in 2012.2 Those Coloradans 21 years old or older may privately possess—or transfer without remuneration—one ounce or less of marijuana or privately cultivate up to six marijuana plants, with no more than three being mature.3 Washington permits “an adult to possess up to one ounce of cannabis (and/or up to 16 ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form, and 72 ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form) for their own personal use in private.”4
