Driving and traveling

Getting high before you drive can get you arrested for an impaired driving charge. Driving while ability impaired (DWAI), or driving under the influence (DUI) charges, can result if you get arrested for driving high. This is true even though cannabis use is legal for adults in Colorado.

• If a person’s ability to operate a vehicle is affected to the slightest degree by alcohol and/or drugs, they can be arrested for a DUI or DWAI.
  • By law, drivers who test at or above 5 nanograms of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per milliliter of whole blood can be found to be impaired.
  • Conviction rates are higher in individuals who test at or above 5 ng/mL for Delta-9 THC compared to those who test below. 
• Even if cannabis is used medically, officers can arrest you for impaired driving.
• No open containers:
  • Neither drivers nor passengers are allowed to open any cannabis packaging and use the product while in a vehicle, even if you are not moving.
  • You can be charged with a traffic offense if the cannabis product seal has been broken, some of the product has been consumed, and there’s evidence that it was used in the car.
• Check out the Colorado Department of Transportation’s “Uncomfortable High” campaign and read the frequently asked questions for more information on cannabis and driving in Colorado.
  • Uncomfortable High. (Colorado Department of Transportation website)
  • Frequently Asked Questions. (Colorado Department of Transportation website)

Be careful where you travel 

Keep it in Colorado.

• Leaving the state with any cannabis product is against the law. 
• You can’t bring cannabis to Denver International Airport or any other airport.
• Not in federal parks or on federal land:
  • Since cannabis is still illegal under federal law, you can’t use it on federal land, including national parks and national forests. This includes ski slopes.

Impairment

For occasional consumers, using 10 mg or more of THC is likely to cause impairment. This impacts your ability to drive, bike, or perform other safety-sensitive activities.

People may think that they’re “safer” drivers while stoned. However, research shows that driving while high may increase your risk of a crash since your reaction time is slower and your understanding of distance and speed is different. If you’re high, you shouldn’t drive, bike, or operate machinery. 

• Smoking
  • Wait at least six hours after smoking up to 35 mg of THC before driving or biking. If you’ve smoked more than 35 mg, wait longer.
• Eating or drinking:
  • Wait at least eight hours after eating or drinking up to 18 mg of THC before driving or biking. If you’ve consumed more than 18 mg, wait longer.
• Cannabis affects individuals differently.  
  • These times are estimates based on research findings. If you’re unsure how cannabis will affect you, make other plans for transportation or don't drive.
• Multiple substances:
  • Using alcohol and cannabis at the same time is likely to result in greater impairment than either one alone.