Pot-Positive Traffic Fatalities Up 100% in Colorado

Cybercast News Service ^ | November 26, 2014 - 9:48 AM | Cully Stimson

[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.” …

[longtermmemmory]

it is a matter of personal responsibility.

This is like the DUI fatality drivers who claim they could not be convicted since the intoxication rendered them impaired.

Pot destroys brain function over time.

[ConservingFreedom]

I cite the MRI scans of prolonged users

What scans - where can we see them?

[dmz]

FR can be a funny place.

Put department of labor or department of justice stats out there and they will be ridiculed on this site. sliced and diced and laughed at.

But government stats put out on marijuana? Absolutely and unquestionably true.

[ConservingFreedom]

‘”Because this is a cross-sectional study,” the authors noted, “causation cannot be determined.” In other words, it is not clear whether the brain differences were caused by marijuana. It also is not clear how long the differences last or whether they have any functional significance.’ - http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/18/study-of-pot-smokers-brains-shows-that-m

[ConservingFreedom]

pot destroys the brain permanently over a short time [...] I cite the MRI scans of prolonged users

I see some brain damage here, alright.

[longtermmemmory]

Here is a list of diseases caused by pot smoking:

Acquired Epileptiform Aphasia

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis

Adrenoleukodystrophy

Agenesis of the corpus callosum

Agnosia

Aicardi syndrome

Alexander disease

Alpers’ disease

Alternating hemiplegia

Alzheimer’s disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (see Motor Neurone Disease)

Anencephaly

Angelman syndrome

Angiomatosis

Anoxia

Aphasia

Apraxia

Arachnoid cysts

Arachnoiditis

Arnold-Chiari malformation

Arteriovenous malformation

Asperger’s syndrome

Ataxia Telangiectasia

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Autism

Auditory processing disorder

Autonomic Dysfunction

Back Pain

Batten disease

Behcet’s disease

Bell’s palsy

Benign Essential Blepharospasm

Benign Focal Amyotrophy

Benign Intracranial Hypertension

Bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria

Binswanger’s disease

Blepharospasm

Bloch-Sulzberger syndrome

Brachial plexus injury

Brain abscess

Brain damage

Brain injury

Brain tumor

Brown-Sequard syndrome

Canavan disease

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

Causalgia

Central pain syndrome

Central pontine myelinolysis

Centronuclear myopathy

Cephalic disorder

Cerebral aneurysm

Cerebral arteriosclerosis

Cerebral atrophy

Cerebral gigantism

Cerebral palsy

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Chiari malformation

Chorea

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)

Chronic pain

Chronic regional pain syndrome

Coffin Lowry syndrome

Coma, including Persistent Vegetative State

Congenital facial diplegia

Corticobasal degeneration

Cranial arteritis

Craniosynostosis

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Cumulative trauma disorders

Cushing’s syndrome

Cytomegalic inclusion body disease (CIBD)

Cytomegalovirus Infection

Dandy-Walker syndrome

Dawson disease

De Morsier’s syndrome

Dejerine-Klumpke palsy

Dejerine-Sottas disease

Delayed sleep phase syndrome

Dementia

Dermatomyositis

Developmental Dyspraxia

Diabetic neuropathy

Diffuse sclerosis

Dysautonomia

Dyscalculia

Dysgraphia

Dyslexia

Dystonia

Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy

Empty sella syndrome

Encephalitis

Encephalocele

Encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis

Encopresis

Epilepsy

Erb’s palsy

Erythromelalgia

Essential tremor

Fabry’s disease

Fahr’s syndrome

Fainting

Familial spastic paralysis

Febrile seizures

Fisher syndrome

Friedreich’s ataxia

FART Syndrome

Gaucher’s disease

Gerstmann’s syndrome

Giant cell arteritis

Giant cell inclusion disease

Globoid cell Leukodystrophy

Gray matter heterotopia

Guillain-Barre syndrome

HTLV-1 associated myelopathy

Hallervorden-Spatz disease

Head injury

Headache

Hemifacial Spasm

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

Heredopathia atactica polyneuritiformis

Herpes zoster oticus

Herpes zoster

Hirayama syndrome

Holoprosencephaly

Huntington’s disease

Hydranencephaly

Hydrocephalus

Hypercortisolism

Hypoxia

Immune-Mediated encephalomyelitis

Inclusion body myositis

Incontinentia pigmenti

Infantile phytanic acid storage disease

Infantile Refsum disease

Infantile spasms

Inflammatory myopathy

Intracranial cyst

Intracranial hypertension

Joubert syndrome

Kearns-Sayre syndrome

Kennedy disease

Kinsbourne syndrome

Klippel Feil syndrome

Krabbe disease

Kugelberg-Welander disease

Kuru

Lafora disease

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome

Landau-Kleffner syndrome

Lateral medullary (Wallenberg) syndrome

Learning disabilities

Leigh’s disease

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome

Leukodystrophy

Lewy body dementia

Lissencephaly

Locked-In syndrome

Lou Gehrig’s disease (See Motor Neurone Disease)

Lumbar disc disease

Lyme disease – Neurological Sequelae

Machado-Joseph disease (Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3)

Macrencephaly

Megalencephaly

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome

Menieres disease

Meningitis

Menkes disease

Metachromatic leukodystrophy

Microcephaly

Migraine

Miller Fisher syndrome

Mini-Strokes

Mitochondrial Myopathies

Mobius syndrome

Monomelic amyotrophy

Motor Neurone Disease

Motor skills disorder

Moyamoya disease

Mucopolysaccharidoses

Multi-Infarct Dementia

Multifocal motor neuropathy

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple system atrophy with postural hypotension

Muscular dystrophy

Myalgic encephalomyelitis

Myasthenia gravis

Myelinoclastic diffuse sclerosis

Myoclonic Encephalopathy of infants

Myoclonus

Myopathy

Myotubular myopathy

Myotonia congenita

Narcolepsy

Neurofibromatosis

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Neurological manifestations of AIDS

Neurological sequelae of lupus

Neuromyotonia

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

Neuronal migration disorders

Niemann-Pick disease

Non 24-hour sleep-wake syndrome

Nonverbal learning disorder

O’Sullivan-McLeod syndrome

Occipital Neuralgia

Occult Spinal Dysraphism Sequence

Ohtahara syndrome

Olivopontocerebellar atrophy

Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome

Optic neuritis

Orthostatic Hypotension

Overuse syndrome

Palinopsia

Paresthesia

Parkinson’s disease

Paramyotonia Congenita

Paraneoplastic diseases

Paroxysmal attacks

Parry-Romberg syndrome (also known as Rombergs Syndrome)

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease

Periodic Paralyses

Peripheral neuropathy

Persistent Vegetative State

Pervasive developmental disorders

Photic sneeze reflex

Phytanic Acid Storage disease

Pick’s disease

Pinched Nerve

Pituitary Tumors

PMG

Polio

Polymicrogyria

Polymyositis

Porencephaly

Post-Polio syndrome

Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN)

Postinfectious Encephalomyelitis

Postural Hypotension

Prader-Willi syndrome

Primary Lateral Sclerosis

Prion diseases

Progressive Hemifacial Atrophy also known as Rombergs_Syndrome

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Progressive Sclerosing Poliodystrophy

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Pseudotumor cerebri

Ramsay-Hunt syndrome (Type I and Type II)

Rasmussen’s encephalitis

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome

Refsum disease

Repetitive motion disorders

Repetitive stress injury

Restless legs syndrome

Retrovirus-associated myelopathy

Rett syndrome

Reye’s syndrome

Rombergs_Syndrome

Rabies

Saint Vitus dance

Sandhoff disease

Schytsophrenia

Schilder’s disease

Schizencephaly

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Septo-optic dysplasia

Shaken baby syndrome

Shingles

Shy-Drager syndrome

Sjogren’s syndrome

Sleep apnea

Sleeping sickness

Snatiation

Sotos syndrome

Spasticity

Spina bifida

Spinal cord injury

Spinal cord tumors

Spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal stenosis

Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome, see Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Spinocerebellar ataxia

Stiff-person syndrome

Stroke

Sturge-Weber syndrome

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy

Superficial siderosis

Sydenham’s chorea

Syncope

Synesthesia

Syringomyelia

Tardive dyskinesia

Tay-Sachs disease

Temporal arteritis

Tethered spinal cord syndrome

Thomsen disease

Thoracic outlet syndrome

Tic Douloureux

Todd’s paralysis

Tourette syndrome

Transient ischemic attack

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Transverse myelitis

Traumatic brain injury

Tremor

Trigeminal neuralgia

Tropical spastic paraparesis

Trypanosomiasis

Tuberous sclerosis

Vasculitis including temporal arteritis

Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)

Viliuisk Encephalomyelitis (VE)

Wallenberg’s syndrome

Werdnig-Hoffman disease

West syndrome

Whiplash

Williams syndrome

Wilson’s disease

X-Linked Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy

Zellweger syndrome

[ConservingFreedom]

Here is a list of diseases caused by pot smoking:

Because you say so? I see "brain damage" is on your sourceless list - although the MRI studies show merely a correlation (not causation) with brain alterations (not known to be damage).

Smoking pot is not good for you - but if you support banning unhealthy behaviors, I'm sure I can produce a long list of alcohol-related diseases ... so do you support banning alcohol (or are you a hypocrite)?

[familyop]

"there was just a study that came out shortly after colorado’s legalization that shows pot smokers’ brain volume decreases over usage and that the shrinkage starts right away. it doesn’t take a long time to notice the changes."

Thanks. I was looking for the keywords to find that one.

Regular pot smokers have shrunken brains, study says
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3225726/posts

[ConservingFreedom]

Thanks for the informative link!

'in regular pot smokers, that region is better connected than it is in non-users: The flow of signal traffic is speedier to other parts of that motivation and decision-making network, including across the superhighway of "white matter" that connects the brain's hemispheres.

'[...] Even now, however, the authors of the study acknowledge that they cannot discern whether a pot smoker's smaller orbital frontal cortex is the cause or the result of chronic marijuana use. A 2012 study found that subjects with a smaller orbital frontal cortex at age 12 were more likely to start using marijuana by age 16, suggesting that deficits in this crucial region may predispose one to substance-abuse behaviors.'

[Impy]

My dad rented an apartment to a couple pothead cousins, one lost his job and stayed home smoking and playing loud music every day.

He was finally able to kick them out last spring after they stayed for several months without paying rent, and he’s still not clear of the trouble they caused.

[stephenjohnbanker]

I could tell you horror stories about dopers, but I’m sure you have your own.

[familyop]

"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"

There is and has been a standard for a very long time. The same standard--5 nanograms--is the limit for driving in Washington. There's also a new roadside test that will provide reasonable cause for the accurate office test to follow.

New marijuana breath test in works
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2014/12/01/new-marijuana-test-in-works/19729361/

[Impy]

Just the one, thankfully.

I like horror stories. ;d

[stephenjohnbanker]

You forgot “stealing money, and personal property syndrome”

[GOPsterinMA]

Reason 3,762,109 not to be a landlord, especially in a “Blue” state; your rights as a property owner effectively do not exist.

I’ve heard nothing but horror stories, especially when “family” is involved.

[stephenjohnbanker]

The worst thing I ever did was buy a duplex in Santa Monica.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So what when it is part one and part the other. What do they use, arithmetic mean? geometric mean?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Whiplash.

[GOPsterinMA]

There you go. A landlord in a “Blue” state - a nightmare.

IF, IF, I wanted to be a landlord, I would just buy a bunch of cheap shacks and Section 8 them out - at least I’d get paid. I would never care about them or consider living in or near them.

I will never be a landlord.

[dmz]

I’d also say that certain left wing powers realize that for whatever reason, the high of THC makes one more pliable to their left wing philosophies.

<><><<>><

The rest of your commentary on this thread has been nothing short of intelligent and insightful.

And then you said the above.

There seems to be this fiction around here that only lefties smoke weed.