Driving Ambition

A freshly minted activist describes how he almost singlehandedly defeated Utah legislation that would have treated any driver who tests positive for illegal drugs, impaired or not, as if he were intoxicated. Federal drug czar John Walters wants every state to adopt such laws, which essentially make it a crime for marijuana smokers to drive, since traces of the drug can be detected long after any effect on driving ability has worn off. The story of how this campaign was thwarted–for the time being, anyway–in Utah, of all places, and with the help of a Republican legislator, should give hope to reformers who wonder whether their criticism has an impact.