Sean Duffy says legalizing weed 'a huge mistake' amid rising traffic deaths linked to THC

Sec. of Transport Sean Duffy said this week that legalizing marijuana would be “a huge mistake,” saying that the country is unprepared to deal with the public safety risks that come with increased use, especially on the roads.

“Here’s the problem,” Duffy said. “With alcohol, I can look at someone, I can smell them if they’ve been drinking in the car. There’s telltale signs. And then I can get my breathalyzer. And then I can take a blood test later. It’s hard with marijuana. We don’t have the systems in place to tell if you’re smoking marijuana before you got in the car.”

Duff warned that the infrastructure for identifying marijuana impairment “just isn’t there,” even as “culture is pushing and celebrating the use of marijuana.” Duffy said, “We’re not talking about the risk. We lose 42,000 people on the roads every year. Way too many.”

When asked about the Biden administration’s consideration of rescheduling marijuana under federal law, Duffy said, “I think it would be a huge mistake.”

“Listen, I understand. He’s getting a lot of pressure to do it. I understand he’s getting pressure,” Duffy said about the current administration. “Listen, I’ve got nine kids. I see what these drugs do. I’m not, I’m not a supporter of legalizing it.”

Duffy said law enforcement already avoids overly punitive measures for low-level possession, “We didn’t send people to prison for a quarter ounce bag or an eighth ounce bag of marijuana,” he said. “They got a city citation. They’re not going to prison for this.”

Duffy noted that legalization normalizes marijuana use for young people, saying, “But to legalize it and to say it’s okay for our kids and our young people to smoke it and it’s good for them and they get behind cars, it’s dangerous,” Duffy said. “And listen, it’s taking lives. And it’s addictive. Something else. It’s really addictive.”

He also warned that today’s marijuana is significantly stronger and often contaminated. “By the way, it’s not the 1960s marijuana,” Duffy said. “This is way more dangerous stuff. And then they’re lacing it with other materials that are incredibly dangerous.”

Duffy’s comments come as new research suggests a growing number of fatal car crashes involve drivers under the influence of marijuana. A Wright State University study found that over 40 percent of victims in fatal vehicle accidents over the past six years had elevated levels of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. Researchers said the average blood concentration among deceased drivers was 30.7 ng/mL, exceeding legal limits set in states such as Ohio and Colorado.