Stephanie Shrock, a 33 year old Indiana woman, will spend three years on house arrest for her role in a fatal car crash that killed 45-year-old Jaquelin Harp.

As she was reaching for coffee cup, Shrock swerved off the roadway and overcorrected before crossing the median divide and colliding head-on with Harp’s vehicle.

Shrock’s urine tests came back positive for cannabinoids and she was considered legally intoxicated, however, she maintains her marijuana use was two days before the crash. Causing the unfortunate loss of life when operating a motor vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in the blood is a level four felony.

As marijuana legalization becomes more prevalent, concerns arise over the appropriate approaches to enforce its use.  

The main apprehension from lawmakers is due to the lack of a method to measure the level of intoxication in addition to a way to prove someone is currently under the influence as opposed to someone who smoked recently.

We should be cautious when moving forward in regards to accidents involving marijuana as we have already discovered there is no viable scientific way to establish legal marijuana limits.

A psychologist testified that Shrock had suffered from survivor’s guilt, depression, and anxiety after the accident. Many of her emotions were rooted in the fact that the victim’s family believed she had smoked the morning of the untimely commute.

“I didn’t feel fuzzy, I didn’t feel clouded,” Shrock said. “I did not at all feel impaired.”

Shrock offered her condolences to the family saying, “I’m so sorry that we are sitting here, that this is how we are meeting. I hope that you can continue on the path of healing, which is so vital. I pray for your comfort.”

We are all responsible for taking care of each other on the road each time we get behind the wheel. One careless act tragically took the life of an innocent person in this instance. In response, a careless sentence has all but ruined the life of a woman innocent of the charges brought against her.

If we are going to regulate the use of marijuana we must do so using science, logic, and reason before setting a dangerous precedent for future legal failures.