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Pot-Positive Traffic Fatalities Up 100% in Colorado
Cybercast News Service ^ | November 26, 2014 - 9:48 AM | Cully Stimson

Posted on 11/30/2014 6:03:08 PM PST by Olog-hai

… The data coming out of Colorado is exhibit A on why voters should reject legalization efforts. Even the Democratic governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, said that legalizing marijuana in Colorado was “reckless.” As I have written at Heritage, pot-positive traffic fatalities have gone up 100 percent since voters legalized pot in Colorado. This is true despite the fact that overall traffic fatalities in Colorado have gone down since 2007.

A report by a federal grant-funded agency in Colorado found seven specific negative side effects that pot legalization has caused in Colorado:

  1. the majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana;
  2. youth consumption of marijuana has increased;
  3. drug-related suspensions/expulsions increased 32 percent over a 5-year period and a majority was for marijuana;
  4. an increase in college users;
  5. almost 50 percent of Denver arrestees tested positive for marijuana;
  6. marijuana-related emergency room visits increased 57 percent from 2011-2013; and
  7. marijuana-related hospitalizations has increased 82 percent since 2008.
Perhaps people are also aware of new scientific studies pointing to the inherent dangers of marijuana. For example, the British health research journal The Lancet Psychiatry recently concluded that teens who smoke marijuana are “also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide.” …

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: cannabis; carfatalities; colorado; deathtoll; dui; marijuana; pot; potheads; trends; wod
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To: chris37

Rehab kills. Just ask Amy Winehouse. No, wait...


181 posted on 12/01/2014 7:54:43 AM PST by coloradan (The US has become a banana republic, except without the bananas - or the republic.)
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To: coloradan

That was a troubled young lady right there...

I remember seeing pictures of her near the end and just thinking wow.

She lost the battle with her demon.

Even though I don’t like her, I feel very sorry for her and for those who loved her.


182 posted on 12/01/2014 7:58:58 AM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: BillyBoy; Impy

” Gee, how’s all that “weed is harmless and marijuana users never hurt anyone” talking point working out for our libertarian and liberal friends? “

Every pot smoker I ever hired, stabbed me in the back, one way or another. 0 for 10. Not a coincidence.


183 posted on 12/01/2014 8:22:54 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
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To: bluejean

Also, are people stoning today that used to get drunk?

That said, I snicker as much as anyone when people quip about the mile high city now being twice as high.

For alcohol, there seems to be an agreed measure of what means too drunk to drive, the BAC. For stoners, there isn’t, which has to lead to a lot of subjectivity and confusion (especially when it is a multi drug intoxication). Will there be something like a universal competency test? People might not want that because it might collar those who are tired or sick too.


184 posted on 12/01/2014 8:28:43 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

At least every one that let you know he/she stoned.


185 posted on 12/01/2014 8:29:34 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Olog-hai

An inconvenient truth


186 posted on 12/01/2014 8:30:02 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you are not part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: chris37

Law can legitimately govern what people do. It can prohibit public intoxication. Maybe it could even prohibit private intoxication. The spiritual error is in demonizing a substance because the wickedness is always in its use. It never hops off the shelf and grabs anyone by the collar.


187 posted on 12/01/2014 8:33:33 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Laws do not govern what addicts do.

An addict’s addiction governs what the addict does.

I did not demonize the substances, I called them what they are, poison.

I demonized addiction itself, which is the use of such substances and other things. Addiction is clearly a personal demon that some in this world battle against for their entire life.


188 posted on 12/01/2014 8:45:03 AM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: Olog-hai
So, the number of traffic fatalities has GONE DOWN... but since they have expanded testing for THC in the blood (which means someone smoked pot in the recent several WEEKS)... they're claiming that pot is having a negative impact.

Sounds like an extremely weak argument.

189 posted on 12/01/2014 8:50:51 AM PST by Cementjungle
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To: eldoradude; UnwashedPeasant
As far as I can tell, recreation pot was legalized in Colorado effective September, 2013, so that would have no impact on the stats from 2007 to 2012.

The whole point is that legalization is not going to improve those numbers.

No, the whole point is the Reefer Madness brigade cooking the books as usual. (And legalization just might improve those numbers, by eliminating the incentive to smoke it as soon as you've got it in order to avoid a possession arrest.)

190 posted on 12/01/2014 9:02:07 AM PST by ConservingFreedom (A goverrnment strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

No matter how you slice it, 100% of the stoners I discovered screwed me over. Not good.


191 posted on 12/01/2014 9:07:02 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
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To: Olog-hai
pot-positive traffic fatalities have gone up 100 percent since voters legalized pot in Colorado.

"Pot-positive" could mean ANY level in the bloodstream - and could also mean use any time within the past few weeks.

the majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana;

Since pot has always been far and away the most used illegal drug, this factoid has doubtless always been true.

drug-related suspensions/expulsions increased 32 percent over a 5-year period

Pot has been legal for only about a year.

and a majority was for marijuana;

Since pot has always been far and away the most used illegal drug, this factoid has doubtless always been true.

almost 50 percent of Denver arrestees tested positive for marijuana;

No evidence that this is an increase.

marijuana-related emergency room visits increased 57 percent from 2011-2013; and marijuana-related hospitalizations has increased 82 percent since 2008.

"Marijuana-related" means merely that they were asked if they'd used marijuana and said yes - this is like saying every illness or death of a tobacco user is a "tobacco-related" illness or death.

Perhaps people are also aware of new scientific studies pointing to the inherent dangers of marijuana. For example, the British health research journal The Lancet Psychiatry recently concluded that teens who smoke marijuana are “also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide.” …

Who here would disagree that the sort of person who's likelier to choose to use pot is also the sort of person who's likelier to drop out? That's enough to explain the linkage. And a similar argument can very plausibly be made regarding suicide attempts.

192 posted on 12/01/2014 9:17:54 AM PST by ConservingFreedom (A goverrnment strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.)
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To: All

since pot destroys the brain permanently over a short time, perhaps pot users should not be allowed to legally drive at all. (see the repeated images of brain mri scans.)


193 posted on 12/01/2014 9:22:20 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Olog-hai

Another report using only percentages and not numbers.

The number 2 is 100% more than 1.


194 posted on 12/01/2014 9:22:45 AM PST by CodeToad (Islam should be outlawed and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: CodeToad

so it is ok for people to die because it is 100% rather than a “number”?

How about expanding implied consent to include mandatory MRI for THC positive scans? If the brain destruction is too far gone then ineligible for a DL.


195 posted on 12/01/2014 9:26:29 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: longtermmemmory
pot destroys the brain permanently over a short time

Laughable nonsense - a number of FReepers have posted, in a manner not consistent with permanent brain destruction, that they are former users who have quit.

196 posted on 12/01/2014 9:37:44 AM PST by ConservingFreedom (A goverrnment strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.)
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To: longtermmemmory
so it is ok for people to die because it is 100% rather than a “number”?

It's well established that drunk drivers kill people - do you therefore support banning alcohol, or is it OK for people to die?

197 posted on 12/01/2014 9:39:20 AM PST by ConservingFreedom (A goverrnment strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.)
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To: longtermmemmory

“so it is ok for people to die because it is 100% rather than a “number”?”

You sound like a liberal arguing for banning guns. “If it saves just one life! For the children!”


198 posted on 12/01/2014 9:44:43 AM PST by CodeToad (Islam should be outlawed and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: mountainbunny
"I’ll never manage to hike all of the 14ers"

Totally off the subject, but there are a bunch of beautiful 13ers that have the advantage of far less traffic.

A few of us had a great time climbing Mt. Rosalie. We saw only one other hiker the whole day.

199 posted on 12/01/2014 10:20:22 AM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: ConservingFreedom

I cite the MRI scans of prolonged users, nice try but enjoy the consolation prize.


200 posted on 12/01/2014 10:27:30 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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