Colorado became the first state in the U.S. to allow legalized marijuana for recreational use and over five months have now passed since the use of cannabis became legal for non-medical reasons. The New York Times reports that emergency room doctors and law enforcement officers in both Colorado and in neighboring states have begun to see the downsides. 
College students in the Denver area are among those individuals likely to take advantage of legalized pot. Unfortunately, this means young people are at risk of student accidents after consuming marijuana. Young people are in danger if they make the choice to smoke on their own and get behind the wheel. They could also be harmed if they get into the car with someone who has used cannabis products, or simply if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time on a college campus where marijuana use has become more widespread.
An experienced drug driving accident lawyer at Bell & Pollock P.C. should be consulted for help when a young person is injured in student accidents caused by the marijuana use of his peers.
Legalized Pot Causes Problems in Denver
The New York Times reported on the problems that have begun to occur in Colorado as a result of legalized recreational cannabis products.
One man, for example, reportedly consumed marijuana-infused candy and then began raving about the end of the world before killing his wife. A growing number of adults and children have visited ERs because they have become sick after eating potent doses of edible cannabis, and both local police and law enforcement in neighboring states are complaining about stoned drivers.
In January, the Colorado State Patrol started to track the number of people who were pulled over for driving while under the influence of marijuana. Since that time, around 12.5 percent of all citations for driving while impaired have gone to individuals under the influence of drugs.
The bulk of the pot retailers in the state are in Denver, which means that young people at Denver-area colleges including the University of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College, and Regis University all have easy access to cannabis products. This could create risks on campus, especially as a recent University of Massachusetts at Amherst study found that underage college men tend to discount the dangers of driving after marijuana has been consumed.
Because edible cannabis products have proved to be especially popular, some young people may also be put at risk without knowing it. While at least nine children have ended up visiting children’s hospitals after accidentally eating marijuana foods, the bigger problem for college students may be that they are unaware when a friend has eaten cannabis-containing products. This could lead to a student getting into the car with a person who is under the influence of drugs without even knowing about it.
Students injured as a result of drugged driving accidents or other dangerous incidents caused by their peers who have used marijuana should understand their legal rights. An attorney can help.
Contact Bell & Pollock at (877) 744-5900 or visit http://www.bellpollockinjury.com to schedule a consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Denver.