I've never been a user, but I do support legalisation. The reason I support it even though I myself wouldn't benefit is: - It is at least as safe as tobacco and alcohol. So even if we leave the question of what is safer on the table, I think most people would agree based on available evidence that it isn't LESS safe than those two, and they're legal. - The "war on drugs" has been a disaster. It has actually hurt econ…
Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
171–180 of 208 posts
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would question the claim that Americans are bad drivers in general. Compared to driving I've seen in other countries (particularly India, China), even the worst drivers I've seen in America aren't so bad. And the worst drivers in America I know personally are not actually Americans but internationals. Maybe we are generally worse compared to other western countries but my experience suggests the prevalence of drivi…
I'd definitely say American drivers, as a whole, are less prepared for and take too lightly the responsibility of driving a car. It is far too easy to get a license in this country: My test consisted of me, at sixteen years old, going around a suburban block with very little traffic at about 35 miles an hour, followed by a brief parallel parking test (a test I consider far less relevant than, say, being able to merge…
One day, I lucked out and found street parking near the convention center in Houston. I had to drive forwards then back into the unmarked space, which was obscured from view by the angle. I make sure to leave a good three feet of space from the car behind, and observe that there's space behind that car too. A few hours later, we come back to the car, and there's a woman in the car behind on the phone complaining about being "parked in."
(What's more, if you cranked up the stereotype dial when you imagine the scene, you'd be pretty accurate. No pickup truck, though. It was one of those Chrysler 300 style cars.) [heavy sigh]
EDIT: Contrast the above with what I observed in Sligo, Ireland, taking the bus to see some archaeological site. At this one bus stop on those twisty little roads, the mother and her child getting off the bus had to back up and flatten against the wall while the driver maneuvered out of this one bend in the road. If the driver had been wrong by a foot and a half -- and mind you, this is a full sized city bus -- he would've crushed them against the wall. Apparently, this was a regular occurrence!
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed on the whole driving bit - but commensurately, whenever I'm in the US, I am astonished by how casually people drink and drive. Don't think it's a stoner problem, more an inconsiderate dickhead/cultural problem.
One of the interesting thing about moving from the US to Ireland was that it went from being acceptable to have a couple of beers and then drive, to people maybe having one mid-strength Guinness, if that (some reasonable exception for parties where you were hanging out for several hours). I find I prefer it here. Also, it's worth noting the limit for your first two years of having a licence is 0.02%, and they require…
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed on the whole driving bit - but commensurately, whenever I'm in the US, I am astonished by how casually people drink and drive. Don't think it's a stoner problem, more an inconsiderate dickhead/cultural problem.
I'm American, and I think it's neither. It's more that in almost all of the country, the alternatives to drinking and driving work so badly that it's a better option, even with the risks. I think we're positively pathological about it in a way - we're all about punishment and stricter penalties, but nobody cares about making the alternatives suck less. I drink pretty frequently, and I go to a lot of effort to never d…
That said, I've heard that in Japan, it's the bar's responsibility to get you home safely. They take it very seriously, but you pay extra at the club to account for it.
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cannabis is thought to have an anti-carcinogenic effect, which is neat, but you'd still be at risk for emphysema and other kinds of lung diseases just from the physical impact of the smoke. Edible cannabis seems a lot safer in that respect but of course it's harder to gauge the dose, it's longer-lasting due to the different metabolic pathway, and it doesn't have the instant gratification of smoking. On the up side yo…
Vaporization.
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
> drive under the influence The research about Marijuana's impact on driving is inconclusive, but there are indications that it might have no negative impact (for the most recent example: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1667... ) and even that it might reduce risks of crashes. As a result, it's unfortunate that it's apparently socially acceptable to assume without question that marijuana has a…
I couldn't disagree more strongly with the claim that it's "unfortunate" for people to assume, in the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, that drugs associated with impaired cognitive function probably don't mix with activity as potentially lethal as driving. Especially since the balance of the evidence you've linked to appears to support that assumption. It's not as if "there is at least some level of mariju…
Defaulting to the position of criminalization regardless of the evidence, particularly in this context given the history and impact of existing marijuana policy, will likely perpetuate the creation of flawed policy.
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
In Australia we have rolled out widespread "booze busses" which block off major roads and breathalize everyone who comes through. This + major advertising campaigns have had a significant impact on drunk driving. I am surprised at the lack of these kinds of measures in the US - and how casually most people treat drink driving. These booze busses have now extended to testing for marijuana and methamphetamine, though n…
There's plenty of roadblocks in the US. It's often argued they violate the constitution--that police are stopping every car for no reason. Police get around that by calling it a "safety check." There's plenty of videos about how to "beat" them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLmKl60VrWM You can see from this video that the cops are clearly violating rights, and someone who knows what their rights are can stand up fo…
I've seen those videos too - are you saying it's unconstitutional to stop drivers to do a breathalyser?
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
You make it sound like noone has analyzed cannabis smoke. Do you really believe that? Obviously they have. Here's an easy read summary. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?question... The interesting one is: > Dale Gieringer, PhD, State Coordinator of the California National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), stated in his 2004 article "Cannabis Vaporizer Combines Efficient Deliver…
> You make it sound like noone has analyzed cannabis smoke. That's your interpretation, but it's not my assertion. I've long wondered where the measurable health impact of marijuana smokers is. At the rates Americans consume it, shouldn't we be able to measure it the way we measure effects of tobacco and alcohol? Or is that more opportunity lost to prohibition?
I think the answer to "do we know that?" was "yes, we know that."
Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#179Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say
#180I've never been a user, but I do support legalisation. The reason I support it even though I myself wouldn't benefit is: - It is at least as safe as tobacco and alcohol. So even if we leave the question of what is safer on the table, I think most people would agree based on available evidence that it isn't LESS safe than those two, and they're legal. - The "war on drugs" has been a disaster. It has actually hurt econ…
It's my estimate, as a non-user, that someone would drive much better under the influence of marijuana than alcohol, especially at the extremes. It's also my estimate that many drivers at .08 BAC or under the influence of marijuana are far superior drivers than some other drivers who are 100% sober. So why isn't the line drawn based on driving ability or driving performance rather than mental state? I can see some ob…
> So why isn't the line drawn based on driving ability or driving performance rather than mental state?
Reckless/careless driving is a traffic violation that can result in loss of license.