One big controversy with legalizing Pot

[maseman]

While i think pot should be legal to buy and use in one's home or privacy, obviously people should not be legally allowed to operate a motor vehicle. I had a friend killed by a drunk driver and although I drink I NEVER get behind a wheel after even one cocktail.

Alcohol is ingested and can be detected through a blow test. I don't think pot is the same way. You smoke it and it can stay in your blood for days even though you don't feel the effects of being high.

How will the police monitor the DUP? Driving under the influence of pot?

Also will companies still have the right to bloodtest its employees? I work in a field regarding explosives. We obviously don't want people at work under any influence but again pot can be detected in the blood for many days even if the user wasn't high for work.

[Jkid]

1. Two possible answers.

1. Police already test for DUP along with alcohol.
2. Prohibit employeers to sanction employees for drug use unless they're actually under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

[skipos]

2. No controversy at all. How do the police currently monitor DUP?

That is how they can do it when it is legalized.

[Warpy]

4. Field sobriety tests

generally indicate if somebody is "off," whether through alcohol or substances.

Stoners who are really out there are not going to be able to complete any of the cognitive stuff. They're going to lose interest and start giggling.

[spanone]

3. they already do. you can be arrested for driving under the influence of many things.

[lunatica]

5. Pot heads are driving and working stoned now and always

I used to know one who was stoned all day at work and never got caught. Or if he did no one cared.

[dhpgetsit]

6. Not condoning it but

Driving high on pot is not as bad as driving drunk.
You are a whole lot more aware of your surroundings and tend to drive more slowly.

[Shell Beau]

16. Yeah, but the reaction time is still off.

And being too cautious can be pretty dangerous.

[EOTE]

23. Where are the studies showing that driving stoned is more dangerous than driving sober?

The only test I've seen showing respective driving abilities showed that stoned drivers were safer not only than drunk drivers and drivers who were sleep deprived, but safer than the sober control group as well. Before we declare the need to test for marijuana when conducting road tests, I think it first needs to be proven that marijuana negatively effects one's driving ability.

[Fumesucker]

7. This gets brought up every time legalizing pot is discussed..

[MindPilot]

11. Nice! n/t

[Captain Hilts]

8. Alcohol is legal, yet it is ILlegal to drive under the influence and sell to minors. Same for pot.

[the other one]

9. Non issue

Pot doesn't depress the central nervous system like alcohol. There is no reason to test for a non debilitating substance.

[Webster Green]

12. Bingo!

There is no comparison to be made.

Studies even indicate that stoned drivers are safer drivers because they are more cautious.

The 1937 cannabis smear campaign and hysteria are still alive and well. Jesus, give it a fucking rest. It's all bullshit! Stoners figure that out when they take their first toke.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance...

That will not change.

It is illegal to sell a minor a controlled substance.

Tobacco is a controlled substance. Pot is the same, though the level will be considered more like alcohol.

Businesses have the right to insist their workers do not show up to work drunk or high. Doing so will certainly lead to formal counseling or being outright fired. As for testing, legalizing marijuana will not remove other substances such as cocaine, heroin, etc. from the list of illicit drugs. Yes, they will still do it.

This is not an issue.

[ladywnch]

13. and yet no one talks about prescription pharmaceuticals and

the length of time those stay in the system. I remember the sleeping pill haldane (I think it was called) that was supposedly a god send due to its short half life.....and how fast it left the system. This was EXACTLY the problem with the drug.....because of its short half life the body never got a chance to really balance out and it ended up increasing suicides and violent behaviors. All the other drugs that are prescribed for pain, depression, etc that have major side effects are still okay but pot gets stored in the body in fat cells while the others pass through liver and kidneys and exit the body more directly so it gets branded a problem. It does not necessarily mean that you are still under the influence. Just as you can carry malaria and hepatitis for YEARS and never have it active (symptomatic) you can still test positive for pot weeks/months after being exposed and never show any symptoms.


It is a bogus argument.

[dmr]

17. You're thinking of Halcion (triazolam)

:hi:

[ladywnch]

21. yes, that was it! I was confusing Dalmane with Halcion.... thanks!

[ensho]

14. its doubtful many pot drivers would be arrested

they wouldn't be breaking the law like a drunk would.

[pipi_k]

15. Shit...I've smoked it in the distant past, and I'll tell you what...

I couldn't even walk, let alone think about driving.

No danger of someone like me driving while stoned...

:7

[Hippo_Tron]

18. The NHTSA doesn't keep statistics on caused by marijuana

The reason is that there isn't a statistically significant amount of them to do so.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. There's a thing called "field sobriety test"

If a person is coordinated enough to walk in a straight line, touch their nose with their eyes closed, etc. then they're coordinated enough to drive a car.

[Ganja Ninja]

27. Exactly.

Unless it's totally obvious that a person is intoxicated there's no reason to try and prove otherwise. There are some people that drive better stoned compared to some people that aren't, like drivers that are over-aggressive or too old or are so self absorbed they pay no attention to the road.

[Toucano]

20. The big myth behind this non-controversy

is that legalization will result in a giant increase in consumption.

Suddenly everyone will want to get stoned, as if pot being illegal is actually STOPPING anyone.

That hasn't happened elsewhere, and the people who want to consume already do consume for the most part.

So enforcement of the driving under the influence laws would be no different than today.

[chrisa]

24. +1 - The people that want to smoke pot already are, for the most part.

It's not like it's some big secret that nobody can ever find or buy.

[TheKentuckian]

22. Concern noted but ignored. I care nothing about police or employment testing

The cops will use the same methods and the burden of proof for legitimate safety concerns is on the employers. Certainly, there would be a few sensitive area carve outs for specific situations but blanket testing violates the principle (though not the law as it applies to the government) of restrictions on unreasonable search and seizure.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

25. whataloadofhorseshite

So you think millions of innocent users of natural medicine should still be thrown in jail until there is a test that exactly mirrors the one used for BAC? You will have to excuse me if I fail to take your opinion seriously....

[cliffordu]

26. Pot shows up in a UA for a month.

[raouldukelives]

28. It's easy to detect them

Look for people driving very carefully and 10 mph under the speed limit.