Should Smoking and Driving in CO be Illegal?

Navigating the roads in Colorado can be dangerous. There is a lot to keep your eyes out for. You need to be aware of wildlife potentially running out on the road, other drivers speeding around you and cutting you off, and, of course, distracted drivers as well. You are not alone if you get anxiety every time you get in your car. There are a lot of distractions on the road in Colorado. It is easy to get caught staring at the mountains, looking at animals, looking at your phone, or a number of other distractions. When it comes to driving in Colorado, should smoking and driving be illegal? 

Smoking and Driving in Colorado

Texting and driving is illegal in Colorado, as it distracts drivers and takes their attention off the road as they text, scroll through social media, or take a selfie. At the beginning of 2025, Colorado passed the 'hands-free' law, which allows you to use mounted systems or Bluetooth but not hold your phone when driving. While phones are a distraction, lighting a cigarette while driving can be too. Many drivers choose to smoke while driving, which is legal, but in the process of pulling a cigarette out, trying to light one, and then having smoke in the vehicle, it seems like this would be as dangerous, if not more than, a phone in the car. Distracted driving is the leading cause of crashes, and lighting a cigarette while driving seems like it would be a distraction. Despite how much it would anger many drivers, should it be illegal? 

Can You Smoke Weed and Drive in Colorado?

While the above is about cigarettes, what about cannabis? Colorado has taken this one out of drivers' hands already, as driving and smoking cannabis is illegal. No matter if it is recreational or for medical use, if you are operating a vehicle under the influence of cannabis, officers can pull you over and even arrest you. Similar to alcohol, cannabis can not even be open in a vehicle or used by passengers either. For more on what the law is when it comes to having cannabis in your vehicle and what is and is not allowed, you can click the link above. 

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You are forgiven if you need to light a cigarette to help you relax on Colorado roads. Driving is stressful in the Centennial State, but considering how distracting it can be and how some drivers endanger others in the process of lighting them, perhaps Colorado should consider making it illegal moving forward, like they have texting and driving, and cannabis when people are operating their vehicles.