This car crash really harshed my mellow

[MillCreek]

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/crash-claims-up-2-7-percent-in-first-states-to-legalize-pot/

Legal pot = uptick in car crashes.  Who'd a thunk it?

[freakazoid]

They didn't actually give us any actual numbers or a link to the study. I wonder how it compares to drunk driving.

[T.O.M.]

Years ago, I went to a training class for prosecutors at which the State Troopers demonstrated how they handle drug/alcohol driving cases.  During the course, they talked about the NHTSA studies on drunk driving.  Someone asked about driving under the influence of pot.  The Trooper teaching chuckled, and said the only study he knew of was out of California, which showed that marijuana had a minimal impact on driving skills.  This was because drivers knew they were under the influence, so took steps to drive more carefully (driving slower, leaving more distance between them and a car ahead of them, etc.)

Just looked.  Here's a more recent study with similar conclusions...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/

[MechAg94]

I have heard that 3rd hand also.  A radio guy went on a bit of a rant about it.  Said that from a cop's perspective marijuana users did not drive dangerously as much and they generally didn't have domestic abuse calls with marijuana involved like they did with alcohol.  


edit:  Left a "not" out of that statement.

[Jamisjockey]

I just read an article about some mystery illness that's on the rise among pot smokers in states where it's legal.  Of course, no stats were provided after you read the alarming headline.  No numbers of cases, no percentage of pot smokers becoming ill with it.  No percentage or number increase.  For *expletive deleted*ck's sake it could be 5 people instead of 2 sick with it for all I could tell by the article.  But damned if they weren't pushing some serious alarmisim.
So back to the OP article.
More of the same.  A 2.7% increase, without any data of how many of those involved in the increase were under the influence.  What was the state's population growth over that time period?  Chang in the number of licensed drivers?  Weather trends over that period?  No *expletive deleted*ing answers, just more alarmisim over the devil's weed.   

[cordex]

I have heard that 3rd hand also.  A radio guy went on a bit of a rant about it.  Said that from a cop's perspective marijuana users did drive dangerously as much and they generally didn't have domestic abuse calls with marijuana involved like they did with alcohol. 

I was talking with a cop about legalization and he said that if he could wave a magic wand and make alcohol go away and replace it with legal pot he would.  In addition to driving being less of an issue, he said he's never had a stoner attack him while he regularly has drunks who want to fight. 

[Hawkmoon]

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/crash-claims-up-2-7-percent-in-first-states-to-legalize-pot/

Legal pot = uptick in car crashes.  Who'd a thunk it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TnkJ8_BmSI

[Brad Johnson]

... and they generally didn't have domestic abuse calls with marijuana involved like they did with alcohol. 

Kinda hard to be deh violents when baked out of your mind and half comatose from a Twinkie binge.

Brad

[Perd Hapley]

I was talking with a cop about legalization and he said that if he could wave a magic wand and make alcohol go away and replace it with legal pot he would.  In addition to driving being less of an issue, he said he's never had a stoner attack him while he regularly has drunks who want to fight. 

But alcohol can't be bad! It's natural!

[T.O.M.]

Big issue with pot right now is that some geniuses have figured out you can mix other vegetation with pot to make more money.  What do you do about the lack of a buzz?  You mix fentynal with it, of course!

http://nbc4i.com/2017/06/20/ohio-coroner-we-have-seen-fentanyl-mixed-with-marijuana/

[grampster]

You want to smoke pot?  Grow a couple plants of your own.  Heck you can do that in your basement or garage.  Then you don't need to worry about contamination.

I agree with the notion that a pot smoker knows he's stoned and pays a bit more attention.  The big danger is people who are stoned may drive slower and might react a little slower, but still paying more attention than a drunk.  People who are drunk, generally and most of the time arguably deny they are affected.

[KD5NRH]

You want to smoke pot?  Grow a couple plants of your own.  Heck you can do that in your basement or garage.  Then you don't need to worry about contamination.

This; there's a reason they call it weed, and simply eliminating laws that inhibit private growing for personal use will pretty much ensure that nobody needs to lie or steal to get it.

I agree with the notion that a pot smoker knows he's stoned and pays a bit more attention.  The big danger is people who are stoned may drive slower and might react a little slower, but still paying more attention than a drunk.  People who are drunk, generally and most of the time arguably deny they are affected.

I've yet to see any study showing that driving moderately stoned is more dangerous than driving while tired, angry or sad.  Frankly, most of the people I've seen get way too baked to drive aren't going to be able to find the car until they come down quite a bit anyway.

[BlueStarLizzard]

I've been the passenger in a car with a stoned driver (young and dumb... and stoned...) and there was no accident. I also would not allow my one ex to drive when he was stoned. I didn't care what he said about being "a better driver when I'm lit" Nope. Not going to do it. *shrug*
I also don't see the point in comparing one substance too another, in this case. Just because drunks are more dangerous behind the wheel (and just in general) it doesn't mean that stoners can't be a problem.

I'd really rather people under the influence of any mind altering substance not be driving. Tired, distracted and irate drivers are bad enough. We don't need to be adding more idiots to the mix.