reepher company pre-rolls unique business model to back responsible marijuana users

“We’re not lawyers, but we’ll help you pay for one.” // Courtesy of reepher

Cannabis consumption may be legal, but driving impaired most certainly is not. There is no federal law defining a cannabis DUI, and tests for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can trigger positive even if the driver isn’t high behind the wheel.

reepher—a brand focused on providing financial aid to cannabis consumers—opens its first operations in Missouri in a few weeks. The company works as criminal and DUI defense insurance, helping to cover costs as individuals navigate the justice system.

reepher was founded on a passion for providing resources and support in the rather gray area of marijuana DUI procedures. CEO and co-founder Justin Kahn spoke of his relationship with cannabis and its effects on his own life.

“I was fortunate enough to discover cannabis when I was 22, and it changed my life. It gave me a sense of calm, and it gave me my life back in a lot of ways,” says Kahn.

Unfortunately, many DUI arrests begin as traffic or equipment violations such as speeding, rolling through stops, erratic driving, or other non-related DUI charges.

When someone is suspected of using weed behind the wheel, the vehicle will be inspected for signs of marijuana use, traces of the plant, or marijuana paraphernalia. Police will also pay close attention to a driver’s behavior, appearance, and scent.

Upon inspection, law enforcement may call in a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). A DRE will perform similar evaluations to those used in alcohol-field sobriety tests including balance, coordination, and scanning of the eyes for involuntary movements and dilation.

However, police can arrest in DUI drug situations through suspicion alone, and without the technology—such as a breathalyzer—that can properly trace marijuana intoxication, DUI drug tests offer a less than appealing alternative.

Under the concept of “implied consent,” drivers legally agree—anytime they get behind the wheel—to give a sobriety-related chemical test whenever it is requested. It is illegal to drive anywhere in the United States without adhering to this practice.

Drivers can technically refuse a DUI drug test, but in doing so they risk facing automatic license suspension.

For the average cannabis consumer, this can lead to a truly bone-chilling experience. Forced sobriety tests subject responsible users—while not necessarily high at the time of driving—to potentially reveal residual THC levels from previous use.

The real problem exists in that there are so few ways to test an individual’s THC concentration—and none that can determine current sobriety. THC could linger in recreational and medical users’ bodies for weeks or months. Standard methods will scan urine samples, but blood, hair, or saliva may also be requested to detect THC concentration. These tests only note the presence of THC or THC metabolites and not whether the driver was actually impaired.

In most states, there is no threshold for the amount of detected THC to constitute a DUI, such as blowing .08 on an alcohol breathalyzer.

“I have always been concerned about having cannabis in my system, and I know I am not alone in this. I know there are responsible cannabis users all across the world that have similar fears and concerns as I do,” says Kahn.

Cannabis-related DUI’s can be enforced with jail time, an impounded car, a suspended license, numerous fines, and more—a pain in the ass considering the process is so assuredly flawed.

A good lawyer can break the bank, but that’s where reepher steps in with quotes as low as $15 per month.

The company provides up to $8,000 for costs associated with hiring a lawyer, $1,000 if your car is towed or impounded, $1,000 for alternative transportation, $1,000 for any pre-trial costs, $1,500 for your personal hardships, $1,000 for incidental expenses, and $1,500 total ($250 per-diem) for mandatory court appearance.

reepher aims to level the playing field by enabling members to have the necessary financial resources, should they ever need them. The company currently represents Missourians but aspires to diversify across America with the comfort of support in a certainly vague area of the law.