We are just starting the development of a legal framework for dealing with drugged driving. While we know that drugs can impair driving and that people are driving impaired by drugs, we do not know the size of the problem. We do not know if drugged drivers are repeat offenders or if there is only one arrest per 1,000 drugged driving trips. We do not understand what sanctions will deter drugged drivers or prevent recidivism. Yet, there is a push to do something about the problem, and we have our experiences from developing the legal framework for alcohol-impaired driving that we can use as a guide. As one legislator put it, however, "you can convict someone of murder with one sentence in the State Code, but it takes 46 pages to convict someone of DWI." The sooner we can answer the questions, the better chance we have to develop a less convoluted and more effective legal framework.
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