Don’t consume and drive.

Never use marijuana while driving, and do not drive immediately after using it. Not only is it potentially dangerous, it is illegal and can result in serious penalties.

Similar to a 0.08 blood-alcohol limit, Colorado and Washington have established a legal limit of 5 ng/ml of THC in whole blood. Most consumers’ THC levels dissipate about one to two hours after smoking or vaporizing marijuana flowers, and it might take a little longer when consuming concentrates. Since it varies from person to person, you should wait at least three to four hours before driving a vehicle.

Edible marijuana products and some other infused products remain in your system several hours longer, so you should not operate a vehicle for the rest of the day after consuming them.

If you are not sure whether you are impaired or above the legal limit, do not drive!

Lock it up.

If children live in or visit your home, store your marijuana in a place where they cannot get their hands on it. If you have teenagers, you should consider going a step further and locking it up, much like you would a liquor cabinet. And, of course, you should never purchase marijuana for or in any way provide it to someone under 21 years of age.

Also be sure to keep marijuana away from your pets, especially when it comes to edibles. Do not leave marijuana sitting on a table where they might be able to reach it, and if you drop some of it on the ground, pick it up immediately so they don’t pounce on it or find it later. If you throw away a piece of an edible (or packaging with pieces of an edible stuck to it), make sure your pet cannot get into the trash and find it.

Prevent accidental consumption.

Once marijuana edibles are removed from their packaging, many of them look a lot like everyday, non-marijuana-infused food products. If you keep any marijuana edibles at home, make sure they are properly identified so that friends, relatives, roommates, and visitors do not mistakenly consume them.

Keep marijuana edibles in their packaging up until using them. If you only consume a portion of a product and save the rest for another time, store it with the original packaging or label it in a way that clearly indicates it contains marijuana.

Don’t be a pothole.

Do not pressure others to join you in consuming marijuana, and never give anyone a marijuana-infused product without their knowledge. It is not funny, and it could result in serious problems for that person and others. For example, they might end up driving or engaging in another activity that should not be done while under the influence. It could also cost someone their job if they get drug-tested by their employer. If someone would like to join you in consuming a marijuana-infused product, be sure to inform them of the amount of THC in the product, and let them know the appropriate serving size if they are unsure.

Be respectful of the people around you and do not smoke marijuana in public or in the presence of someone who would prefer not to be exposed to it. This applies especially to situations in which kids are present.