Drinking and Driving

[LazySmoking420]

not a researched comment eh ? in that case:

evidence shows that the ability to perform complex tasks, such as driving can be strongly impaired while under the influence of marijuana (goldstein 1994; mathias 1996). Research indicates, "cannabis consumption impairs motor coordination, reaction time, sensory perceptions and glare recovery" (Teen challenge 2000, p. 1). This effect has been demonstrated in laboratory assessments of driving-related skills such as eye-hand coordination and reaction time, in driver simulator studies, in test course persformance, and in actual street driving situations (chait and pierri 1992; mathias 1996; teen challenge 2000). Another study tested the effects of known amounts of marijuana, alcohol, or both on driving. the subjects drove a course rigged with various traffic problems. there was a definite deterioration in driving skills among those who had used either drug, but the greatest deterioration was observed in subjects who had taken both. in another test, 59 subjects smoked marijuana until they were intoxicated and then given sobriety tests on the roadside by highway patrol officers. overall, 94% of the subjects did not pass the test 90 minutes after smoking, and 60 % failed at 150 minutes, even though the blood thc was much lower at this time (hollister 1986). other studies on driving show this same inability to drive for as long as 12 to 24 hours after marijuana use.


i'm not saying that drinking and driving is a good thing, but what i am saying , is that if you start out drinking while you're driving, you can tell when you're past the limit of safe driving. just the same with weed, if you start driving when you're smoked out of your gourd its not the same as just taking a few drags.

Dont believe what the goverment tells you....

From NORML.com

"Scientific studies on marijuana and driving fail to support the notion that marijuana poses a significant public highway safety hazard, according to evidence compiled by NORML.

In particular, the evidence fails to support proposals by marijuana opponents to impose tough new "zero-tolerance" standards for driving under the influence of marijuana or to disallow on-site use in medical cannabis clubs out of fear for driving safety.

In general, the evidence shows that marijuana is a lesser traffic hazard than alcohol or other drugs. Marijuana appears to be most dangerous in high doses, or when combined with alcohol. On the other hand, drivers with lower levels of marijuana have been found to be no more dangerous, and in some cases arguably safer, than other drivers.

NORML has recently issued a comprehensive report on drugged driving, drug testing, and driving under the influence laws, by its senior policy analyst, Paul Armentano [1]. The report disputes the rationale for proposed "zero tolerance" laws, in which the presence of any trace of marijuana in blood or urine is taken as per se proof of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID). Because marijuana can be detected in the system long after any impairment has passed, such laws wrongly misclassify many sober drivers as "intoxicated." Urine tests detect only non-psychoactive metabolites of marijuana, which linger in the system for days or even weeks after use. Blood tests can measure the major psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, THC, which provides a better but still inexact indicator of recent intoxication. Blood THC peaks within the first hour of intoxication, but can be detected at lower levels for a day or more in chronic users.

A growing body of scientific evidence shows that drivers with modest amounts of THC in their system are no more dangerous than other drivers. A 2002 review of seven separate crash culpability studies involving 7,934 drivers reported, "Crash culpability studies [which attempt to correlate the responsibility of a driver for an accident to his or her consumption of a drug and the level of drug compound in his or her system] have failed to demonstrate that drivers with cannabinoids in the blood are significantly more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes"[2].

Two other, new accident studies have failed to find any hazard from marijuana. A study of 1500+ patients admitted to a Midwest trauma center published in the Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection, and Critical Care found correlations between use of alcohol, cocaine and opiates with injuries [3 ]. However, their data did not show "any statistically significant independent associations between injury and cannabis," researchers told NORML. "(This) offers a strong rebuttal to the Drug Czar's misleading allegations implying that marijuana is a leading cause of ER admissions," says Armentano.

Another study of road trauma from the Netherlands, which detected the presence of drugs through urine as well as blood tests, found significantly higher accident risks for alcohol and benzodiazepines (prescription tranquilizers) and less certain risks for amphetamines, cocaine and opiates, but no increased risk for cannabis [4].

In the largest U.S. survey of drug use and driving accidents to date, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found that alcohol was by far the "dominant problem." At the same time it found "no indication that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents"[5]. The report was delayed and not publicized because it failed to confirm the expectations of administration drug warriors."

I do admit that driving and smoking should been done with experienced users, When I was a newbi to the drug I couldnt drive either.

[higher4hockey]

touche!

i'm starting to lose track of our arguement, what exactly is it again that we're argueing? that being stoned is safer than being drunk behind the wheel?

[TallulahGreen]

Jamstigator, I am really sorry to hear that. That is really devastating and disturbing, I almost cried while reading it..I love my mom, she drinks and drives all the time; as she has done so my whole life. She always thinks shes fine to drive.

I smoke and drive all the time, mainly because I pretty much am stoned all the time. The only time I will smoke IN my car is on road trips or a long commute somewhere. Otherwise, I smoke at home, and only at home. Or other peoples houses, I don't have a problem finding a place to smoke, so I don't need to smoke and drive. Although I do remember the days....

I didn't start driving when I smoked until probably a good year or so of heavily smoking Marijuana. I didn't feel comfortable, now that I am a seriously chronic weed smoker...driving while stoned isn't anything really out of the ordinary. I have been driving for 5 years and never been in any kind of accident, in fact I do feel that when I am stoned and driving I am more aware of my surroundings and I do observe more.

[Mista Sippi]

drinkin and drivin is the SHIT! i tell you whats fun is get on the interstate and cut ya lights off and swang lane to lane. yeah, that's fuckin fun as FUCK!!!
but on a serious note, i have to say i drive better when i'm high. no delayed reaction, everything flows like water when you drive high. and i'm paranoid and more alert to everything around me. ain't nothing in the world like ridin through your hood chuckin up the deuce to ya boys while smokin a big fat ass blunt. seems like whenever i'm riding in my hood boys flag me down just to hit the blunt. nothing like mashin the lac up and down the jack while blowin a big sack.

[higher4hockey]

in that respect, if you've sort of worked your way up to feeling comfortable driving stoned, whats to say i can't do that with drinking ?

[TallulahGreen]

It's not even necassarily that I became more comfortable with driving stoned, it's that being stoned made me feel less fucked up than it used to. I used to get alot more stoned, to where I couldn't drive. Now I never get that stoned, and if by some weird chance I do...then I won't drive...but it is a very rare occurance.

You can't get used to driving drunk, being drunk totally impairs your judgement and perception....inhibitions, etc. YOU are fucked up, you don't even know if you could drive or not...thats why it's called being drunk, cause people are stupid when they are drunk. People get attitudes like they can do anything, or that they are invincible...you don't even know if you are okay to drive or not. Thats the thing about drunk driving.....

[buddymyfriend]

Jam, thanks for sharing bro. Sorry to hear of your loss.

Peace bro

Buddy

[FireyBudBurner]

Tallulah your totally right about not ever being able to drink and drive safely even with tolerance. A few beers is one thing. Sometimes if I smoke a lot of some real indica bud I won't drive because it can make you so tired. Driving tired is also a really bad move. GO CARDINALS

[TallulahGreen]

I will drive after 1 beer......but usually after 2 I don't even think it's okay for me to drive.

[Fengzi]

if you smoke th eweed i have at the moment
i bet you would not even attempt to drive
some weeds really do fuck with perception
not a great idea to be driving the streets
but on cheap ass weed it aint no thing

I'm with friendowl on this one. Me and my friends used to get high and drive around all the time, never a big deal. With the medical stuff I'm getting now though, no way I'd do it. 2 or 3 good hits and my mind is way to twisted to drive. If I had to choose between getting in a car with somebody drunk or somebody high, however, I'd definitely go with the high driver.

drinkin and drivin is the SHIT! i tell you whats fun is get on the interstate and cut ya lights off and swang lane to lane. yeah, that's fuckin fun as FUCK!!!

And I thought Mississippi was just filled with stupid hillbillies. I guess I overlooked this Nobel Prize candidate.