Drugged Driving: True Threat Or False Panic?

[Payaso]

An interesting debate has been studied scientifically, and the results have been published by NORML.

Policy debates regarding marijuana law reform invariably raise the question: "How does society address concerns regarding pot use and driving?" The subject is worthy of serious discussion. NORML’s Board of Directors addressed this issue by ratifying a “no driving” clause to the organization’s “Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use” stating, “Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer with motorists than alcohol and many prescription drugs, responsible cannabis consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition.”

Nevertheless, questions remain regarding the degree to which smoking cannabis impairs actual driving performance. Unlike alcohol, which is known to increase drivers’ risk-taking behavior and is a primary contributor in on-road accidents, marijuana’s impact on psychomotor skills is subtle and its real-world impact in automobile crashes is conflicting.

Drugged Driving: True Threat Or False Panic?

Survey data indicates that approximately 112 million Americans (46 percent of the US population) have experimented with the use of illicit substances.2 Of these, more than 20 million (8.3 percent of the population) self-identify as “current” or “monthly” users of illicit drugs,3 and more than 10 million Americans say that they’ve operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of an illicit substance in the past year.4 These totals, while far from negligible, suggest that the prevalence of illicit drug use among US drivers is far less than the prevalence of alcohol among this same population.5

To date, “[The] role of drugs as a causal factor in traffic crashes involving drug-positive drivers is still not well understood.”6 While some studies have indicated that illicit drug use is associated with an increased risk of accident, a relationship has not been established regarding the use of psychoactive substances and crash severity.7 Drivers under the influence of illicit drugs do experience an enhanced fatality risk compared to sober drivers. However, this risk is approximately three times lower than the fatality risk associated with drivers who operate a vehicle above or near the legal limit for alcohol intoxication.8 According to one recent review: “The risk of all drug-positive drivers compared to drug-free drivers is similar to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. The risk is also similar to drivers above age 60 compared to younger drivers [around age 35].”9

Marijuana is the most common illicit substance consumed by motorists who report driving after drug use.10 Epidemiological research also indicates that cannabis is the most prevalent illicit drug detected in fatally injured drivers and motor vehicle crash victims.11 Reasons for this are twofold. One, pot is by far the most widely used illicit drug among the US population, with nearly one out of two Americans admitting having tried it.12 Two, marijuana is the most readily detectable illicit drug in toxicological tests. Marijuana’s primary psychoactive compound, THC, may be detected in blood for several hours, and in some extreme cases days after past use,13 long after any impairing effects have worn off. In addition, non-psychoactive byproducts of cannabis, known as metabolites, may be detected in the urine of regular users for days or weeks after past use.14 (Other common drugs of abuse, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, do not possess such long half-lives.) Therefore, pot’s prevalence in toxicological evaluations of US drivers does not necessarily indicate that it is a frequent or significant causal factor in auto accidents. Rather, its prevalence affirms that cannabis remains far more popular and is far more easily detectable on drug screening tests than other controlled substances.

Click here to read the entire study's conclusions.

 

[Skip]

Boy, that was a good analysis! Just cause so many ppl get detected by police for cannabis while driving doesn't mean that cannabis impaired them in any way. It just means that LOTS of ppl use cannabis and therefore it shows up whenever tests are done.

There is NO direct correlation between cannabis use and car accidents, any more than there is between 60 year olds and car accidents.

So cannabis is NOT a factor to be considered in car accidents unless it is the ONLY drug found in the system in large amounts and the driver is obviously impaired as a result.

Unfortunately gov't stats always make it seem that since marijuana was found in the driver's system it contributed somehow to the accident.

Again this is because of the BIAS against marijuana as being a HARMFUL, DANGEROUS drug, when in fact it's not.

You might as well be testing for aspirin as for cannabis and claim that aspirin use caused the accident.

 

[SeniorBuzz]

As a newbie when it comes to driving while high
I am amazed at how good of an
"under the influence"
driver I am

probably haven't done it more than a half-dozen times

but the fear of driving, while high, is gone

 

[thaiboxer]

was i speeding???

the real danger is mixing alcohol & then smoking up & driving immediately afterward. That first 15 minutes can cause confusion & mixed with alcohol is a recipe for disaster. I smoke & drive often but am very experienced, a inexperienced user might have some problems in that first 10-15 minutes, after that is just a matter of paying attention. No worse than any other distracted driver.

 

[trichrider]

IMHO cannabinoids do not detrimentally affect motor skills, on the contrary. I cannot say the same for precribed meds though. While I had several motor vehicle accidents under the influence of Dr. precsribed drugs (mostly inattentiveness), cannabinoids are psycoactive, which means a higher state of consciousness as compared to alcohol which depresses the nervous system.
I am not advocating driving or operating machinery while blitzed, but I can drive all day and ENJOY the ride now instead of passing into unconciousness and suffering the ills of dealing with LEO and insurance bs.
Thanks for the info.

 

[!PeAcE!]

no need to smoke and drive, we aren't allowed to yet ;-) lol

 

[ibuster57]

There is no test that I know of that can tell if someone has been using cannabis while or just prior to operating a motor vehicle. Been smoking for 45 years the only accidents that I know of concerning cannabis involves dropped roaches or lighting bowels.
But when you talk of impairment by cannabis you have to consider the physical and mental effects of sativa's or indica's.
The biggest problem faced by cannabis users is the age old one of someone not taking responsibility for their actions and claiming they just smoked cannabis before they crashed or killed someone.
We all know people that really should not ingest anything stronger than oxygen. And its questionable if we should allow them to continue doing that.

 

[the_red_bull]

Under certain circumstances I suppose it could be a true threat. For marijuana it's a false panic that was illicited by the acohol industry. Some drugs I could see there being an actual threat say with mushrooms or LSD or extacy I suppose. Maybe what we should do is instead gear our laws toward intoxication rather than toward specific drugs. That way we could cover substances that are yet to be discovered that may not otherwise be covered by any existing law.

 

[GreatLakes THC]

Great article...

Great article...

I choose not to drive if at all possible when high. Just don't like the added anxiety. Traffic alone can get me on edge.

GreatLakes THC

 

[the_red_bull]

I'll drive high, but I won't smoke in my car because if you're pulled over all it takes is a little odor and them cops will start rippin your car apart.

 

[funkervogt]

I feel cannabis impares my driving. I am more cautious and defensive, but clumsy and sometimes confused when I drive stoned (think senior citizen-style ridiculousness). To contrast with alcohol, I am aware of my impairment on cannabis, where I am often overconfident in my abilities on alcohol.

Clumsy, confused and slow vs. foolhardy, sloppy and accident-prone.

 

[Marijuanasaur]

I think that weed effects everyone subjectively, and I would have no qualms with making driving stoned illegal. That said, i'm an excellent stoned driver who finds his driving abilities heightened if anything, but I can also see how in other circumstances it would be dangerous.

IE. when i first started smoking, getting high warped time and I would see everything in low frames per second. I would not recommend driving to anyone in this situation, lol.

 

[pearlemae]

Driving after smoking is why they put cruise controls in cars, so you don't end up going 15 under the limit or way over.

 

[Chainbreaker]

They do drug tests when they stop ya for breath test here in Australia.. not all the time but if they think your whacked they test ya... and alot have been getting caught for driving under influence.. and yes, alot of them have been smokers

 

[Japanfreakier]

no need to smoke and drive, we aren't allowed to yet ;-) lol

Munchies

 

[ureapwhatusow]

Boy, that was a good analysis! Just cause so many ppl get detected by police for cannabis while driving doesn't mean that cannabis impaired them in any way. It just means that LOTS of ppl use cannabis and therefore it shows up whenever tests are done.

There is NO direct correlation between cannabis use and car accidents, any more than there is between 60 year olds and car accidents.

using mathematical statistics you could in fact PROVE it does not by simply evaluating the statistics of drivers arrested in various states for (drunk, DUI, under teh influence of marijuana, talking on cell, ect) vs. the ones arrest for the same offenses while involved in a motor vehicle accident

the percentage of influence to accident an be compared to the mean averages of un-impaired motorist accidents to see exactly what is what

my guess is many of these gross statistics are available in some form

state DMV and teh like

 

[NHMI]

I drive around a lot and well, I smoke from the time I get up til I go to bed so I don't think being stoned and driving makes any difference other than I go slower when stoned or speed like a mofo when not...

 

[stihgnobevoli]

i have a ton of experience driving stoned and sober, being high doesnt effect my driving except for sometimes i get paranoid when im around cops, but im paranoid around cops when im high and im walking. i think maybe its because i think ill get arrested and sent to prison for nothing more than being a little extra thinky.

 

[cyber echo]

Usually always drive high. Not extremely high mind you, but if it weren't for the thc circulating I'd have shoved a shotgun between my teeth from road rage a looooong time ago.

 

[weedfiend]

driving while stoned im my oppinion is a non issue......shit i got my license while i was stoned. and like alot of ppl i think it increases awarenes just because u know ur high.