The effects of Marijuana and Driving

[dagnabit]

Yes, I'd like to read the test studies your basing your claims on.

not sure what you need?
weed is a mind and mood altering substance.
the purpose for smoking it is to alter your state of mind.
maybe what you are smoking is not weed if it does not get you high?
does it look similar to this?

some reading..
http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...5eb669604182849dbc8e61ce7f03f75a&searchtype=a

http://www.neurology.org/content/59/9/1337.short

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/pres/jat/1993/00000017/00000005/art00002

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/600655

 

[In~Plain~Site]

I'm pretty sure I know what 'weed' is, what it does to me personally and that there are some people that probably have no business using it.

Thanks for the links, I think some are missing the point.


Forest through the trees...pardon the pun.

 

[el dub]

LOL I'll let my driving record speak for itself. I've had no accidents or tickets in well over a decade. That means I get safe driver discounts from my auto insurance. When we go anywhere, the wife expects me to drive because she has seen that I'm a better, more attentive driver than she is when she has someone else in the car.

At this point in my life, I would be willing to take any driving test to measure my real level of impairment while driving and smoking. However, I remember having a difficult time behind the wheel the first time I was turned onto real colombian gold at the age of 18. (30 years back.)

A person can learn to perform certain functions well on weed, imo.

lw

 

[In~Plain~Site]

I hope the neg rep that I recieved, from the same couple of individuals, has the desired effect that small minds require.


Just know that it doesn't bring your opinion any closer to the truth


Life isn't black and white and silver is my favorite color

 

[Throwgar]

It's not up for debate, the data has long been in. Marijuana impairs judgment, alertness, coordination, and subsequently psychomotor function. We know this to be self-evident based upon the myriad of scientific data regarding the effects of cannabis. The only time real controversy arises is when people start making unfair comparisons to alcohol, which is, of course, much, much more dangerous. There are a multitude of studies that reiterate the difference in scope between alcohol and marijuana impairment via driving.

Some smaller studies even indicate that stoned drivers are only marginally negatively impacted. I have no problem accepting this. Nonetheless, Once the science improves so that we can better deduce who is actually high when driving (right now it's just a guessing game via blood, etc.) I fully support mandatory prison terms for first time offenders who drive when stoned.

The moment you step behind a wheel, you are operating a 3000 pound killing machine that could and often does end the life of your peers. It's no longer a discussion of personal freedom.

You had mentioned studies and science a few times. I've been keeping an ear to the rail on this one, and I've NEVER seen any data comparing different types of drugged driving.

It's all anicdotal evidence. Show me a study of reaction time behind the wheel for cannabis. It doesn't exist.

Please, if you invoke science and studies in your argument, include a link to your evidence so we can all become more informed humans.

Otherwise, don't make things up to support your claims.

 

[Throwgar]

"Marijuana impairs judgment, alertness, coordination, and subsequently psychomotor function". None of this is even debatable. If it didn't do this we wouldn't smoke it. We smoke it because it gets you loaded. And you shouldn't drive loaded. Period.

By this same argument, driving under the influence of caffine should be illegal too.

What's that? You can't compare caffine and alcohol? Why would the same be true for alcohol and weed?

 

[dagnabit]

You had mentioned studies and science a few times. I've been keeping an ear to the rail on this one, and I've NEVER seen any data comparing different types of drugged driving.

It's all anicdotal evidence. Show me a study of reaction time behind the wheel for cannabis. It doesn't exist.

you are not clicking the links?
i posted one that does just so...

 

[longearedfriend]

there was a guy in canada (ottawa) who contested his driving under the influence of marijuana

he went to court and he had friends who testified and brought up some kind of deffense

I am not sure that could have done anything... I can't find any info on google

some herbs made me more vigilant, while some made me less...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is well established that alcohol increases accident risk. Evidence of marijuana’s culpability in on-road driving accidents is much less convincing.[/FONT]

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5450

 

[BlueberryLovr]

This is like people saying they can drive after a few beers or drive long distances under fatigue. Yes, I know the effects are different, but my point is reaction speeds are definitely impaired when you drive high.

Try any test of reaction/attention when under the influence of mj and compare to when you're sober. Results aren't very surprising. High = slower.

Cruising on the freeway or being stuck in traffic while high isn't hard to pull off without incidents. However, if some dumbass driver suddenly swerves into your lane or if you have to slam on the brakes/dodge a stupid kid or avoid rear-ending the car in front of you (tailgate not a smart idea lol), those fractions of a second can make a big difference. It's the dumb drivers and pedestrians that make driving high dangerous for us.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

Cannabis intoxication and fatal road crashes in France: population based case-control study


http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7529/1371

 

[In~Plain~Site]

Cannabis intoxication and fatal road crashes in France: population based case-control study


http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7529/1371

Here's another study that may put the Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol of over 1 ng/ml. into perspective

LINK


I also see that half-life and BMI were not taken into consideration.

 

[Duplicate]

...When you are intoxicated your judgment, alertness, coordination, and subsequently psychomotor function are impaired as member "things happening" correctly stated in his post. Its not up for debate, its a recorded fact of science. That is what being intoxicated is.

Impaired or altered? There is a difference. I don't think my judgement is impaired while under the influence of cannabis but it sure is altered. Usually I'm more careful about things (not necessarily driving) while stoned. Unlike alcohol which has been proven to impair your judgment first after consumption, cannabis usually (for me) causes me to weigh decisions even more than when I'm "sober".

Its frightfully simple. If you feel intoxicated, regardless of what substance caused it. Don't drive. Wait until you are sober.

I drive after smoking. I don't know if this is considered "stoned" or not. As mentioned above I don't feel that my judgement is impaired while stoned. If I've smoked too much I won't drive.

Actually, impaired is quite literally the embodiment of what it means to be high.

This just isn't true for me. It isn't true for me while I'm dancing, playing racquetball, playing frisbee, working in the office and quite a few other activities. Maybe I'm not smoking enough or not enough of the good stuff but impaired just isn't the first thing that comes to my mind after smoking. Altered, sure, but not impaired.

This has always been a tough one for me as I will always do it but I can't say that I ever could or would endorse it.

 

[mad librettist]

The effects of Marijuana and Driving

a controlled case study is still a case study, which is enough to inspire a double blind study, but is not a substitute.

 

[Throwgar]

Cannabis intoxication and fatal road crashes in France: population based case-control study


http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7529/1371

Sooooo..... according to the study, if you were involved in a fatal crash a FULL WEEK after smoking last, you would contribute to their data that smoking cannabis was at fault.

THIS IS THE POINT THAT I'M TRYING TO MAKE:

There is absolutely NO test out there that can measure cannabis intoxication. The only tests available tell you if you've smoked within a few weeks of the test, and NOT whether you are intoxicated at the moment of the test.

I'm all for keeping fucked-up fucktards off of the road, let's just have a reliable test for indicating intoxicated driving. I refuse to go to jail for left-over metabolites from last week's toke.

How about some sort of computer test where you wear special glasses that monitor eye tracking to test for visual imparment from any type of intoxication.

We need a test that will fail for the person who hasn't slept in 48 hours as well as for someone who just smoked themselves stupid.

 

[Duplicate]

Try any test of reaction/attention when under the influence of mj and compare to when you're sober. Results aren't very surprising. High = slower.

Would you consider video games that demand a high degree of hand eye coordination and very quick reaction times a valid test?

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

I refuse to go to jail for left-over metabolites from last week's toke.

If these tests come to pass, you really won't have that option. Reefer madness hysteria will over rule reasoned discussion and judgement. Though I have heard of a saliva test that gives indication of recent consumption.

 

[Stoner4Life]

OP, please try to stop using the word 'marijuana' so liberally, it's cannabis as you know. the govt invented the word marijuana as an ethnically derogatory scare tactic in the beginning of the war on drugs.


whenever I read a 'report' on cannabis I judge it by how & who refers to weed as either cannabis or mj. actual impartial scientists use the word cannabis almost exclusively; govt funded reports by scientists use the word marijuana almost exclusively.

the proof is in the reading of the reports, rather unbiased innocuous sounding reports or articles about cannabis that sound truthful to you as a user will use the *C* word.

reports or articles trouncing the use of cannabis and citing 'no proof' of medicinal benefits will be using the *M* word as they're funded and written by the federal govt.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

If you don't know what being stoned is why do you smoke pot? That is a ridiculous argument to be able to drive high. Stoned is that loaded feeling that comes on after you smoke pot. There its been defined for you. Now stop driving stoned.

i dont know what the fuck you guys are smoking or maybe i have a high tolerance, i cant ever recall feeling loaded (i assume you mean drunk?) after smoking weed. in fact its the opposite, when i smoke weed (for my anxiety and depression) i feel most of the time energetic and ready to do things, im more alert and am able to see and react faster since while relaxed i dont have to fix my vision on any one spot and am able to see everything in my 170 degree cone of vision. shit being high even saved me a couple of times when i was forced to drive after having been drinking. smoke a couple hits of weed and its like i was never drinking in the first place.

stop smoking all that generic kush its fucking you guys up. sativa 4 life.

 

[motaco]

Was I rude to you with my comment & positive rep? Hardly
I said come back when you could prove your point legitimately

Have you, or anybody else done that? Hardly

The problem is it has been done many times, over and over again, articulated quite succinctly by several members several times on such an obvious point. YOU are not going to change your mind. You've backed yourself into a corner and demand people to prove to you something obvious to everyone else. I can't prove the sky is blue if you don't look.

I've stated several times there are varying degrees. I stated a buzz from hours earlier is different than being high while driving, but the topic is being high while driving!

You keep saying it makes you drive slower and such. Well no shit that is because your brain is processing information slower. That is going to make your reaction time slower. If an old woman careens into your lane you will have a slower reaction time if you are high on marijuana.

Its very simple and from this point on I will no longer argue with people who refuse to process information. :

The actual crux of the problem is that you would rather look like a fool than say you were wrong. There is no easy cure for that unfortunately except maturity. Perhaps you'll find it one day.

 

[motaco]

I know I said I was leaving but I want to say one last thing.

There are many people in our community who believe cannabis is a miracle plant that can cause no wrong under any circumstances whatsoever. And its silly. Its unfounded, disproven, and immature.

A great plant? Of course. A miracle that can do no wrong and is incapable of being used poorly? Silly

If our community is ever to be taken seriously by mainstream society we will have to find a way to reconcile this. As responsible cannabis users we need to work to undue the damage done by people who ride around getting high in their car, and the other various dangerous and stupid activities done by our less mature users.