Posted on 08/08/2014 1:36:04 PM PDT by Mariner
Since Colorado voters legalized pot in 2012, prohibition supporters have warned that recreational marijuana will lead to a scourge of “drugged divers” on the state’s roads. They often point out that when the state legalized medical marijuana in 2001, there was a surge in drivers found to have smoked pot. They also point to studies showing that in other states that have legalized pot for medical purposes, we’ve seen an increase in the number of drivers testing positive for the drug who were involved in fatal car accidents. The anti-pot group SAM recently pointed out that even before the first legal pot store opened in Washington state, the number of drivers in that state testing positive for pot jumped by a third.
The problem with these criticisms is that we can test only for the presence of marijuana metabolites, not for inebriation. Metabolites can linger in the body for days after the drug’s effects wear off — sometimes even for weeks. Because we all metabolize drugs differently (and at different times and under different conditions), all that a positive test tells us is that the driver has smoked pot at some point in the past few days or weeks.
It makes sense that loosening restrictions on pot would result in a higher percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents having smoked the drug at some point over the past few days or weeks. You’d also expect to find that a higher percentage of churchgoers, good Samaritans and soup kitchen volunteers would have pot in their system. You’d expect a similar result among any large sampling of people. This doesn’t necessarily mean that marijuana caused or was even a contributing factor to accidents, traffic violations or fatalities.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The emotional reaction may not have been warranted.
Yes, but the number of people “bumping bumpers” has skyrocketed in drivethrus....
I tend to agree with at least decriminalisation, and definitely am opposed to the War on (Some) Drugs, but all the same, I can’t help reading this and thinking, “Correlation. Causation. Not the same thing.”
LOL who was expecting that?
In other news the average interstate speed is 30mph.
The propaganda-addled nanny staters don’t care. Marijuana Prohibition is dead. They’ll just have to deal with it.
More foreign students have jumped out of hotel windows than ever before. I need a more sources.
“Correlation. Causation. Not the same thing.”
Exactly.
Also: “Figures don’t lie but liars sure figure”
But it sure doesn’t seem to point to any “blood on the highway” situation. They have been running some “Don’t drive stoned” commercials, maybe they work.
I tend to agree with at least decriminalisation, and definitely am opposed to the War on (Some) Drugs, but all the same, I can’t help reading this and thinking, “Correlation. Causation. Not the same thing.”
It could be that people who normally do pot had to drive a long way to get to their dealer and when they drove they drove paranoid. Now they relax drive to the dispensary buy more with less money and now have less need to be on the road to meet their dealer in some random back alley.
Or it could simply be the economy is getting so bad that gas is expensive meaning people are driving less...
“In other news the average interstate speed is 30mph.”
A drunk will blow through a stop sign as if it weren’t even there. Somebody who is stoned will stop and wait for it to change.
I’m just happy to be among those encouraging the Homeless to head to Colorado.
How many drivers have been found waiting for stop signs to turn green?
This is a prime example of corporate cronyism and racial prejudice tag team fascist oppression! The AMA hates cannabis because most folks with minor aches and complaints can alleviate them with a drug that can readily be had out of a small flower garden.
The timber industry hates it because it WILL easily replace pulp wood for paper!
The closet racists like prohibition because it's really good odds that any minority person might have some on their person. Ooops you have dried flowers, you are now a slave of the state. See how easy that was? I smell merryjewanna, your 4th amendment rights just vanished. It's ok they don't deserve the same rights as boozers!
“It appears it did not turn out to be the disaster that many predicted.”
We’ll see, I mean, why would the government lie?
Wait, I thought it was just legalized this year? Can someone help me out with an explanation, is just the stores that opened this year, or I’m just cracking up?
Can they even find their cars? And once in them, do they get them started before the munchies strike and they have to go back inside to eat?
[ I’m just happy to be among those encouraging the Homeless to head to Colorado. ]
I have to live in Colorado... gee thanks...
So they stopped drinking alcohol and their driving improved on pot?
That doesn’t sound very scientific.
very true
They are probably not linked at all
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