Whats the deal with driving while high? Why don't more people get caught?

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: Dopefiend
Meh.
Couldn't give a rat's ass what other people think about cannabis. Mellows me out and it's almost 100% harmless in your own house. :thumbsup:

As long as you keep it there, I have no problems with that :thumbsup:

I used not to, but saw the errors of my ways when I almost hit someone in Canada who I genuinely did not see.

Driving is something which should not be done while impaired, IMHO. That includes alcohol, weed, cellphone use, trying to eat while driving...

Eating's fine
I eat my sandwiches on the road every day because I don't get time to stop for lunch

 

[bradruth]

Originally posted by: buck

Originally posted by: Rogue

Originally posted by: bradruth

Originally posted by: gabemcg
If there were always something better to be occupying your time with (drunk drivers, purse-snatchers, domestic disputes, ect.) would you really care if you saw somebody smoking a joint walking down the street?

Yes.

There's these little things called laws that we've sworn to uphold, maybe you've heard of them.

Im sure they dont have anything better to do in Kansas and North Dakota.

You'd be suprised.

 

[bradruth]

Originally posted by: gabemcg
I guess, perhaps a better way to ask the question might have been, do you ever feel like the time you spend pinching stoners could be better spent?

Perhaps that when you pull over a dude for forgeting to signal a turn, and for one reason or another you find a joint, that busting him (while in keeping with your sworn duties) is kinda a waste of tax payers $? Who was he hurting?


if you had a choice, lets say you could vote and the choices were:

1. Possesion of a small ammount for personal use of anyone 18 and up is decriminalized
2. Law stays the same

which would you choose?

I'm just curious, as it is not everyday that you get to converse this candidly with officers of the law without fear of incriminating yourselves.

I would gladly accept some decriminalization of marijuana IF they tightened restrictions on alcohol. I see so many more problems stemming from booze than pot. If people are doing it simply in their home on a casual basis and do go out at any point while high, and they aren't causing harm to anyone, then I don't have a big issue with it. The second I see them outside with it, however, they're getting hooked & booked. No questions about it. Same goes if I show up at a residence for a call (even if it's about the MJ), they're getting taken in.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, it's usually very difficult to prove that someone is under the influence of drugs. There is no such device for detecting marijuana like a breathalyzer. Unless they actually have drugs in the car or have used the drug in the car it would be difficult to prosecute.

 

[Vic]

After their own independent intensive studies, the US government in 1993 and the British government in 2000 both concluded that marijuana intoxication does not seriously impair driving ability, primarily because marijuana does not impair vision and judgement the way that alcohol does. Judgement is the key issue, as the marijuana user is consciously aware of his impairment (unlike the alcohol user) and thus generally compensates by driving slower and more cautiously. It should be noted, however, that all DUI/DWI laws in the US do include marijuana and many prescription drugs as well as alcohol, and as such driving under the influence is a crime.

From the USDOT study:
U.S. Department of Transportation,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(DOT HS 808 078), Final Report, November 1993:

"This program of research has shown that marijuana, when taken alone, produces a moderate degree of
driving impairment which is related to the consumed THC dose. The impairment manifests itself mainly in the
ability to maintain a steady lateral position on the road, but its magnitude is not exceptional in comparison
with changes produced by many medicinal drugs and alcohol. Drivers under the influence of marijuana retain
insight in their performance and will compensate, where they can, for example, by slowing down or increasing
effort. As a consequence, THC's adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small."

 

[HardcoreRobot]

driving drunk = hard
driving high = easy (comparatively)

 

[asm0deus]

alcohol can mess up your visual and cognitive functions (drunk driving = bad), weed messes with your mental and emotional functions (hence high driving = no roadrage) something has to help us handle all this traffic!!

 

[BudAshes]

Driving high on pot is no problem. What they need to crack down on is woman in 3 ton suvs weaving through traffic with 6 kids screaming in the back and a cell phone that keeps ringing. Now that is scary.