Practice of the current THC regulation in traffic.

Convictions for driving under the influence of THC are on the rise, and driver's license suspensions for THC use are increasing and increasing. One affected person describes his experiences with the “zero tolerance” practice in road traffic.

Since January 1, 2005, the new traffic regulations law has been in force, which sets a THC limit. As with the alcohol limit, this is intended to increase road safety and reduce the number of accidents. In theory, this sounds very reasonable, but what does it look like in everyday practice?

Since THC is detectable for much longer (hours to days in the psychoactive form, weeks to months as a breakdown product - depending on the consumption habit) than it develops its effect (a few hours), it is very difficult to set a limit that keeps intoxicated road users off the roads and leaves responsible ones unmolested. A regular smoker will still have a blood level that is too high even after several days of abstinence, although he has long been sober! With the current limit value, all regular consumers are severely punished and classified as “unfit to drive”.

I will give my case as an example: On a Wednesday evening in the summer of 2005, I was 18 years young, my brother visits me at my home, where we enjoy some joints after dinner. After a restful night, I ride a motorcycle to school, home for lunch, and then back to school. After that I drive directly to the training club where I have been training since I was twelve years old. After three hours of competition preparation, it's 10 p.m., I'm looking forward to dinner, to my girlfriend and of course to my evening hemp pleasure. It's been almost exactly 24 hours since I last took a drag on a joint.

On my way home, right by the National Museum in Zurich, I'm stopped by a group of police officers who want to test me for drugs after the ticket check - a routine check, as they say. Since I'm sober and not yet very well informed about our new traffic rules, I'm not worried at all. But the quick test on the spot is positive and the policemen take away my keys and ID cards to take urine, blood and saliva from me at a police station and hold me for hours.

I was treated like a “druggie”, although I stressed several times that I came directly from training and had not consumed anything throughout the day. At some point, a policeman told me that it didn't matter whether I was driving stoned or not, only the blood value counted. That's why all the coordination, reaction and balance tests, which I passed without any problems, hardly mattered. From then on, I am considered “unfit to drive” and am undesirable in road traffic.

I am now 20 years young, work as a security guard in an administrative office, and since the driver's license revocation, I have twice become a champion in a full-contact martial art and have subsequently also been nominated for international competitions. When I was drafted, I was assigned to the top athlete RS. I have no problems with my hemp consumption and am physically and mentally in top shape, which is also confirmed by all medical reports within the framework of this procedure. Nevertheless, if I wanted my ID card back, I would have to have blood and urine taken every two weeks for several thousand francs for years and not smoke a single joint! All this after being checked completely sober… Unbelievable, but it happens every day!

So we see, this law serves at most marginally the traffic safety, rather responsible hemp consumers are discriminated with it every day and even downright insulted as “unfit to drive”. Everybody understands this problem and since this does not only affect the half a million Swiss hemp users, but also their families, business partners and finally our whole society, it is even more important that we take action. And not only when we ourselves or our children or life partners are affected!

For example, we can support the association Legalize it! with a donation. Or with a membership at Legalize it!, the association for THC culture and the complete hemp legalization, which also offers free (!) legal consultations, promote its activities.

But you can also make all the people in your personal environment aware of this problem and explain the situation to them.

I hope that this report has made clear the uselessness and the need for change of the current THC repression in road traffic.