Try doing the speed limit on any major urban area access corridor highway and you will get either run over, or pulled over for obstructing traffic.
Everyone is doing 10-15 mph over the limit, and there is safety in numbers. As long as traffic is moving smoothly, few police will interfere.
If you are stoned, and only a little paranoid and want to avoid getting pulled over...you do the speed limit, which makes you slower than the rest of traffic. I am reasonably sure the study results did not find that people slowed down from 90 to only drive 70...
Don't get me wrong, impaired driving is impaired driving..You never know what can happen, but i just wonder with those studies why people will still defend with their heart and soul, alcool and bash all their heart and soul against pot, without real justification...
I work on oil rigs, where, much like the worst case scanario on the highway, a second of inattention can get you maimed or killed. Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe your wife will get a phone call late at night.
The point being, I am not defending either means of impairment when it comes to driving, nor am I about to.
One of the reasons there are much better statistics on the effect of alcohol on driving is that it is legal, and has been studied. Of course, there have been a few million dead members of the study group along the way, not to mention collateral damage. If someone was under the influence of marijuana and had had a beer, they would opt for the DUI rather than face posession charges, too.
I ask you, do you want to unleash another intoxicant to study the effects, knowing you will be one of the 'lab rats' who might end up being a statistic. Feel free to substitute your wife, daughter, son, friends, or other loved ones for yourself. Do we really want to go there?
There is a point where the consumption of alcohol, as I described earlier can be stopped, where generally, the human organism is deemed to function well enough to operate a motor vehicle. SOme people can stop there and do, others do not.
Hand some people a cell phone and that number drops to zero.
You make the claim that the grower would know how potent the pot is, but different parts of the plant contain different concentrations of resin, different plants contain different concentrations, and much depends on the maturity of the plant.
I know this, believe it or not, from growing tobacco--same thing with tobacco plants.
So even the grower who is pinching his plants is not going to be able to anticipate necessarily the potencey of the adult plant, nor the potency of different parts of the plant--and that may vary from plant to plant as well.
Iirc, High Times did a study years ago that found that pot smokers smoke the same amount, regardless of how potent the pot.
And finally, FWIW, I do not smoke pot, nor drink, but have known many over the years who did one or the other or both. I drive.
"If you are stoned, and only a little paranoid and want to avoid getting pulled over...you do the speed limit,"
this doesn't make any sens as per what you are saying here..."Everyone is doing 10-15 mph over the limit, and there is safety in numbers. As long as traffic is moving smoothly, few police will interfere" so if a stoner doesn't want to get pulled over, he won't drive at a speed where he'll get pull over! if the traffic is going per say at 75 mph, he won't slow down to get horn or pulled over, if this really happen...i guess things are much different up here!! i was driving back and forth the 401 from toronto to montreal each week-end, smoking to get the time go faster, and i was doing 120 km/h when there was nobody and made sure i followed someone at the same speed not to get pulled over...but that's personnal experience only...
"The point being, I am not defending either means of impairment when it comes to driving, nor am I about to. " And this is what i like about your arguments!!
"One of the reasons there are much better statistics on the effect of alcohol on driving is that it is legal, and has been studied" the studies i posted are not aboutstatistics though, but on the field practice...so for sure it is easier to say alcool is more dangerous as per statistics, but when they make tests on the field i tend to believe it a bit more!
"I ask you, do you want to unleash another intoxicant to study the effects, knowing you will be one of the 'lab rats' who might end up being a statistic" unfortunately your drifting in a form of fantasy there, as my answer can only be a question, why would i be a statistic?? a victim of impaired driving? i am willing to unleash an intoxicant to study it's effects with a bit more objectivity, because up now we've been filled with propaganda! ( http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/ ) take a look they are being objective with real studies...
"There is a point where the consumption of alcohol, as I described earlier can be stopped, where generally, the human organism is deemed to function well enough to operate a motor vehicle" and there is a point where the consumption of marijuana can be stopped! i wasn't smoking til i couldn't see a thing or i couldn't recognize my mother!! but some people do!
"You make the claim that the grower would know how potent the pot is, but different parts of the plant contain different concentrations of resin," yep this i know, i grew my plants, my point is to grow this plant to have a potency that could really "impair" your mind to a noticeable point, you would need to know what you are doing, really...a plant growing outdoor will never have the same potency of a plant grown indoor (grown from the same grower) and somebody that knows what he is doing, knows what kind of plant he is growing, and what are the parts of the plant that are more potent... so "is not going to be able to anticipate necessarily the potencey of the adult plant, nor the potency of different parts of the plant" usually a mature smoker is taking only 1 puff to test...so yes the futur use of that plant will be anticipated...
"Iirc, High Times did a study years ago that found that pot smokers smoke the same amount, regardless of how potent the pot. " in a party, you bet!!! on personnal recreationnal or i am willing to say, spiritual use, one will smoke depending on what level of high he wants to get...some are still coing the full lenght (usually more teens) some like i did will take one or 2 puff and enjoy!
And finally, FWIW, I do not smoke pot (anymore), nor drink, but have known many over the years who did one or the other or both. I drive.
But thanks for your post! you are being more reasonable than many other and i think it's good to debate with you! i learn more with your arguments than per say cherry or eleni's argument!
Thanks