"Fatal Road Crashes Involving Marijuana Double After State Legalizes Drug"

[Venaliter]

We've had this thread before.

Here's how it plays out.

Marijuana doesn't impair your driving. If anything it makes you a better driver because you're paranoid
But isn't some measure of confidence an important part of safe driving?

Look man, no study has ever shown it to have a negative impact on driving.
*links half a dozen studies showing it to have varying negative impacts on driving.*
Those studies don't count because something something *lunatic rambling*. I know a guy who took 5 weeds and drove just fine.

Anybody with half a brain knows that driving under the influence of various substances, legal or otherwise, is just a bad idea. For everyone else there's cognitive dissonance. And there's no cure for it.

and yup, we are done here. I'd say the potheads will soon flock in here to defend their favorite drug, but alas.

It's already happened.

[Ryme]

Out of interest, did the number of car crashes increase proportionally or just the number that involved someone being high?

[Cthulhu 2020]

We've had this thread before.

Here's how it plays out.

Marijuana doesn't impair your driving. If anything it makes you a better driver because you're paranoid
But isn't some measure of confidence an important part of safe driving?

Look man, no study has ever shown it to have a negative impact on driving.
*links half a dozen studies showing it to have varying negative impacts on driving.*
Those studies don't count because something something *lunatic rambling*. I know a guy who took 5 weeds and drove just fine.

Anybody with half a brain knows that driving under the influence of various substances, legal or otherwise, is just a bad idea. For everyone else there's cognitive dissonance. And there's no cure for it.

It could be because of impairment...

And it could be because marijuana stays detectable in the blood/urine up to a week after a SINGLE USE by someone who does not regularly use it, and up to a month for people who do use it regularly.

As someone who tried it a few times, I know I felt borderline impaired, but I was mostly just relaxed. I know a lot of people who operate normally on it because they use it regularly and have built up a tolerance. People think it's only poor stoners who use marijuana, but it's widespread used in the tech industry.

[THE Bigzoman]

Not necessarily. "keener awareness" or "hyper awareness" can also lead to "hyper distracted".

I'm sure you guys have a million anecdotes of drugged driving not leading to any accidents.

But here's the reality; Neither do most cases of drunk driving. A good 95% of the time somebody jumps behind the wheel of a car with blood alcohol above the legal limit, they will make it home safely without incident. It's still an idiotic thing to do though.

Touche.


10 char.

[Kathandira]

It could be because of impairment...

And it could be because marijuana stays in the blood/urine up to a week after a SINGLE USE by someone who does not regularly use it, and up to a month for people who do use it regularly.

As someone who tried it a few times, I know I felt borderline impaired, but I was mostly just relaxed. I know a lot of people who operate normally on it because they use it regularly and have built up a tolerance. People think it's only poor stoners who use marijuana, but it's widespread used in the tech industry.

- - - Updated - - -



It could be because of impairment...

And it could be because marijuana stays in the blood/urine up to a week after a SINGLE USE by someone who does not regularly use it, and up to a month for people who do use it regularly.

As someone who tried it a few times, I know I felt borderline impaired, but I was mostly just relaxed. I know a lot of people who operate normally on it because they use it regularly and have built up a tolerance. People think it's only poor stoners who use marijuana, but it's widespread used in the tech industry.

From my experience, this is true.

[Shadowferal]

What a click baity article, would anyone even care if Weed wasn't involved?

If accidents weren't increasing...it wouldn't make the news.

[Manabomb]

Let me know when it reaches alcohol's level.

Also, "Recently used marijuana" is a bullshit term as stated in the article. Regular users show up as "recently used" in blood tests for up to a week after they stop smoking.

Which is why companies in legal states have had to stop drug testing for MJ, because you can't tell how much THC is in the blood stream without taking a literal sample of blood, and the majority of those blood tests take far too long and far too expensive for their value.

I know of an experimental detector that is 97% accurate in trial studies that only needs a drop of blood to determine the THC level in a matter of minutes, but that's a long way from being as accurate or as easy to use as a breathalyzer test in cases for motorized vehicle stops.

The whole situation is a toss up. There is so much legal rhetoric and jargon in the legalization bills that it's hard to say what is legal and what is illegal. For example, in Oregon you can light up in your car as long as the key is out of the ignition and you're not behind the wheel, because the car is considered private property, even if you're blowing blunt smoke out of your window in a walmart parking lot. Granted as soon as you start driving you can get arrested, but if you sit there for a few hours or if you're lucky enough to have a driver, you can't get arrested for public intoxication +D.

[Underverse]

The study even explicitly states that there's no science demonstrating marijuana reliably impairs your driving at any specific level of THC in the bloodstream. Of course if more people are using it then there will be more accidents where it is involved, but the fact that someone had THC in their bloodstream does not mean their driving was impaired or that the marijuana was responsible for the accident.

/thread, done here

[Wildtree]

glossing over that article in the OP...
I think this segment appears to be pretty valid

[Gorgodeus]

It depends. For example, I can do somethings just as well, and other things not very well. Might also have to do with experience with it as well.

All in all, there should definitely be restrictions, since all people are different.

Bullshit. Everyone is affected by it. You are not some new species of human that is impervious to its effects.

[Kathandira]

Bullshit. Everyone is affected by it. You are not some new species of human that is impervious to its effects.

I can do somethings just as well, and other things not very well.

Learn to read.

[Ghostpanther]

It seems logical if you make something legal and then afterwards the rate of accidents doubles, then it is clear making the item legal to use had some impact. Or the defenders of weed smoking going to make the excuse that something else caused it? If so, what?

[urasim]

It seems logical if you make something legal and then afterwards the rate of accidents doubles, then it is clear making the item legal to use had some impact. Or the defenders of weed smoking going to make the excuse that something else caused it? If so, what?

Doubles from what? And what other substances did they have in their system(this is a big one)? How do they do the test, and can they tell if they smoked that day or last week? Don't have time to read the actual study, so if anyone can post detail I'd be appreciative.

[Deleted]

Before legalizing, 10 people die, and two of those smoked pot.

After legalizing, 10 people die, and four of those smoked pot.

OH MY GOD! Fatal road crashes involving Marijuana DOUBLED! THIS PROVES EVERYTHING!

[Ghostpanther]

Doubles from what? And what other substances did they have in their system(this is a big one)? How do they do the test, and can they tell if they smoked that day or last week? Don't have time to read the actual study, so if anyone can post detail I'd be appreciative.

Doubles after you make something legal. You having issues understanding that? I can see the defenders of weed saying other things caused it, but then they would have to come up with something else which changed at the same time or close to when they made weed legal. Other wise they are blowing smoke out of their asses. :P

[Joathen]

It seems logical if you make something legal and then afterwards the rate of accidents doubles, then it is clear making the item legal to use had some impact. Or the defenders of weed smoking going to make the excuse that something else caused it? If so, what?

This is wrong every which way:

1) The article says accidents involving marijuana have doubled- not overall number of traffic accidents.

2) It's not currently possible to determine marijuana impairment levels at the time of an accident, the test can show positive up to one month after use- so that joint you smoked last Tuesday can flag you after the accident that Saturday.

3) There's plenty of causes for traffic accidents, not like the streets were a utopia free from incident before legalization.

[Melkandor]

The study even explicitly states that there's no science demonstrating marijuana reliably impairs your driving at any specific level of THC in the bloodstream. Of course if more people are using it then there will be more accidents where it is involved, but the fact that someone had THC in their bloodstream does not mean their driving was impaired or that the marijuana was responsible for the assident.

This pretty much sums up the thread. Regardless of whether or not you hate THC, you can't deny the scientific facts.

[Joathen]

Doubles after you make something legal. You having issues understanding that? I can see the defenders of weed saying other things caused it, but then they would have to come up with something else which changed at the same time or close to when they made weed legal. Other wise they are blowing smoke out of their asses. :P

All this article shows is that more people consume marijuana- not that more people consume it and drive immediately after.

[Melkandor]

Before legalizing, 10 people die, and two of those smoked pot.

After legalizing, 10 people die, and four of those smoked pot.

OH MY GOD! Fatal road crashes involving Marijuana DOUBLED! THIS PROVES EVERYTHING!

Lol some people still won't get it though. At least we know who the trolls are.

[Gorgodeus]

This pretty much sums up the thread. Regardless of whether or not you hate THC, you can't deny the scientific facts.

Lack of studies =/= scientific facts.