If that was true...then what's the problem with them driving high? If there reactions are good and they can pass a basic sobriety test, then they probably aren't a danger.
Well... maybe there isn't a problem with driving high. I'm not sure that's the case though.
But looking at reaction times alone you could take my argument two ways. 1) That some eldery people probably shouldn't be driving either; or 2) That there is more to driving than just reaction time, and weed has a more complex effect on cognitive processes than a simple RT test would be able to show.
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What's the difference between someone driving high on weed or intoxicated with alcohol? Both are not fully alert and fully conscious and inhibited as they should be for the purpose of safe driving.
I can't believe I am reading this
Well, I'm guessing it depends on levels of intake... since I have no experience with it and I have read no studies on it, I'm not going to make assumptions as to a "safe" level or the complete effects. In any case, I stated that I wasn't sure that was the case - as in I'm pretty sure it's not - I should have been more clear. Anyway, with weed for me it's a different kind of inhibition.
As for your argument of being fully alert and fully concious and inhibited, I can say the same think for tiredness, road-rage, cell phone use, distracting billboards, etc. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an argument condoning drinking and driving (to me, theres no difference between killing someone while drinking and driving, or pulling a trigger) - all I'm saying is we have to look at the extent to which any one thing exerts its effects on driving. (I think we just past a law against cell phone use actually after many studies proving it's distractive nature.)
EDIT: I went and found a study done on effects of marijuana on motor control - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/600655
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Think this is the problem. Not all people react to marijuana in the same way. The same with alcohol, so one would probably need to take the worst-case scenario in order to have rules that would safeguard safety of all. But yes agreed this is rather complicated. Like those Animal Farm type pig rulers who once they started with rules, had to have more rules of rules. It is never-ending.
There have been studies that show that it is much safer to drive under the influence of marijuana than it is to drive under the influence of alcohol. Tiredness is something that is getting a lot of publicity these days. In England it is illegal to use a cell phone, drink anything (coffee, a can of pepsi), or eat while driving.
It would be simple enough to do some studies and determine at what level driving becomes impaired and determine how to test for it. I'm sure there are people who can blow above the legal limit for alcohol and drive better than some other person that blows below it. Because alcohol affects people differentlly, too. We work that out for alcohol, so we could work it out for others. Now, of course, any level of use and you are driving under the inflence.
It would be simple enough to do some studies and determine at what level driving becomes impaired and determine how to test for it. I'm sure there are people who can blow above the legal limit for alcohol and drive better than some other person that blows below it. Because alcohol affects people differentlly, too. We work that out for alcohol, so we could work it out for others. Now, of course, any level of use and you are driving under the inflence.
It is a big problem. The failed war on drugs has cost us billions of dollars for what might be no reason whatsoever.
Plus...the tests are pretty easy. Build one of those cars with the side stabilizers to prevent flipping. Give someone tablets of THC in controlled doses. Test response times to various situations. Mythbusters ran all of these tests for cell phones, driving angry, and driving calm, and they did it for a small budget.
Plus...the tests are pretty easy. Build one of those cars with the side stabilizers to prevent flipping. Give someone tablets of THC in controlled doses. Test response times to various situations. Mythbusters ran all of these tests for cell phones, driving angry, and driving calm, and they did it for a small budget.
Quite horrible that society has to be in such pain, so bored and/or so angry that it needs drugs and alcohol to the extent that it does. Guess for drugs to go away, the problem needs to be tackled at its roots, i.e. the need for drugs.
I think we'd have to go Clockwork Orange to solve that. People have been hitting high for as long as mankind has been alive. Some animals even seek out native drugs. Just part of human nature.
Right. Maybe we need to find new ways of "escaping" from reality. Like the Swamis do. Maybe there could be easy ways of hypnotizing ourselves
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