Letters to the Editor: California needs THC blood limits for drivers before allowing cannabis cafes

To the editor: I am not against the recreational use of marijuana, but I voted against Proposition 64 in 2016, which made marijuana legal for recreational use in California. I felt that driver impairment by THC, cannabis’ main psychoactive component, had not been addressed.

Fast forward to now, and a bill passed by the state Legislature could pave the way for cannabis cafes, just like in Amsterdam.

In the Netherlands, having any level of THC in the blood while driving is a crime. California does not have a similar legal standard. I understand there are problems correlating THC blood levels with actual impairment, and that everyone metabolizes THC differently, but we need to set some standards.

It’s also possible for sensitive people to feel a high when breathing secondhand smoke in a setting like that. It also seems unlikely that every user in a cannabis cafe setting will call a cab or rideshare service to go home.

Surely our legislators see a problem with this. I do.

Kathy W. Smith, Torrance