Cant beleive I'm letting myself get involved in this rathole of a counterproductive thread, but... I cant help it.
Quote:
Originally posted by MrSelfDestruct
I'd also like to comment on smoking and driving. The inhernt problem is that unlike alcohol, which can be detected with a simple breathalyzer test, there is no reliable way to determine how recently and how much someone has smoked. The only assumption that can be made is that if someone has weed in the car, or has an empty bong with ashes in it, that they have been smoking. If there were a reliable test, I would support legalization with identical restrictions to alcohol in regard to driving.
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Your living in a world with this issue right now. Its a problem NOW. Massive amounts of people are high on the road as I'm typing this, just like there are massive amounts of drunk drivers on the road as well. Probably just as many doped up on prescription painkillers or anti-depressants, none of wich are detectable by a breathalizer and are legal. Its actually a normal thing for most pot smokers to light up while driving. I'd venture to say, most moderate to heavy smokers, do so in a car while driving on a regular basis. All you heads reading this know what I'm talking about. Next time your on the road at night, look for that little spark of light that seems to pop up at every stop light in the car next to you. Guess what? They're gettin high.
I'm not trying to get into another legalization argument here, I'm just pointing out that this problem exists already and I dont think legalization would make it worse. Cops are trained to look for the people under the influence of drugs. Breathalizers only catch the drunks (with as many as there are, they still probably only make up a fraction of the amount of people on the road under the influence of a chemical they shouldnt be driving on).
Its my opinion that legalization wouldnt really change much. Police can tell (usually) if someone is on the influence, and believe me, they wont hesitate to take them to jail and get them off the road if they see enough warnings signs. The same DUI laws apply to controlled substances that apply to alcohol. The laws to punish people who drive high are already there. Just because its weed and not alcohol, doesnt mean you wont get a DUI. Just because the breathalizer comes up clean, doesnt mean they wont be able to get you off the road if they consider you a danger to other drivers.