Plainsman1963

New Campaign Aimed At Keeping Teens From Smoking Pot And Driving
12-03-04 | KWTX.Com

Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters is launching a new campaign urging teens to “steer clear of pot.”

According to surveys, teenagers think smoking Marijuana doesn't affect their ability to drive, but government experts say the illegal drug can impair drivers just as much as drinking alcohol.

Officials say they don't have concrete statistics on the number of crashes caused by Marijuana use, but they feel certain that lives are at stake and they say parents must be just as aware of the problem as their young drivers.
[Plains: ]

"Unfortunately, many young drivers don't yet understand the risks associated with Marijuana and driving,” Walters said.

"Marijuana impairs driving and leads to risky decisions. Parents of new drivers can use the milestone of earning a driver's license to discuss the dangers of Marijuana and being responsible behind the wheel - before they hand over the car keys."

"Teens' inexperience on the road and risk-taking behavior, combined with drug and alcohol use, is a recipe for disaster," said National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge.

"As we look back at a year marred by several high-profile teen crashes and fatalities, we are reminded that we still have a lot of work to do to steer new drivers in the right direction."

Zilos

Yes, exactly, Teen Inexperience and alcohol are the problem, not Marijuana. If your a sh*ty driver when your not stoned, you'll be a sh*ty driver when your stoned. Only problem there could be is coming off the high, and getting a little sleepy Good reason to have another toke

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Buzzby

Marijuana is a wonderful thing, when used responsibly. I think it's really irresponsible to counsel teens that it's cool to get stoned and get behind the wheel. Teens tend to not realize just how vulnerable they are and tend to have elevated confidence in their own limited competence. That's why teenage drivers are the most dangerous drivers on the road. That's why they get into more accidents. That's why their insurance premiums are so high.

I notice a real difference in the attitudes of the kids and us "geezers" (defined here as "over 25" by rick) on this board. Those of us who have survived into our middle years are interested in getting a little buzz on and going about our business. The kids are always talking (proudly) about "getting really f*cked up", new ways to stuff more cannabis into their systems faster, and how much they can smoke before passing out. Those of us who have survived "tested the limits" long ago and got bored with the silly game. Take it from an old head - just because being high is good doesn't imply that being higher is better.

I see binge smokers as little different from binge drinkers: dumb kids who are either going to grow up or die. People without balance in their lives. The good thing is that binge smoking probably won't do any permanent damage and Marijuana doesn't impair your ability to drive as much as alcohol. I just don't want to be on the same road with them when the dying part happens. There tend to be collateral casualties.

I have the experience and the survival sense not to get behind the wheel when I'm too impaired to drive safely. Many teenagers don't. (Many adults don't, either.) Telling them that marijuana doesn't impair their driving ability is a lie. The truth is it just doesn't impair it as much as an equivalent alcohol buzz.

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Mamabudz

Okay, let me read this again

...I have no concrete statistics that these officials are fools...but I feel pretty certain they are!

Continuing to waste time and money on demonizing cannabis by their specificity on Marijuana as a causational factor is ludicrous.

They are failing our kids and our society

Failing them by under educating people on the dangers of driving under the influence of any of easily a thousand common inebriants and intoxicants -- from cough medicine to pain killers to just too much java -- that have a greater contribution to auto accidents than just Marijuana.

The lady who slammed up the rear-end of my Hyundai was more probably StarBucks' Java'd Out in her Lexus and that caffeine may explain better the slight tad of road rage -- as she smacked us twice.



.

I say "They" need to correct their agenda...

...but what do I know?

Buzzby

Cannabis is second only to alcohol as the most popular intoxicant in American society. I'd say that's a good enough reason to focus on it's negative effects on driving ability.

From the IOM report:

The types of psychomotor functions that have been shown to be disrupted by the acute administration of Marijuana include body sway, hand steadiness, rotary pursuit, driving and flying simulation, divided attention, sustained attention, and the digit-symbol substitution test.

Disregarding this is sticking your head in the sand. I doubt that there are any of us here over the age of 16 who haven't gotten too high to drive. The mature thing to do at this point is not drive. Telling teens that Marijuana does not impair their driving ability is a life-threatening lie.

Plainsman1963

Well we could play dueling reports until the cows come home...

Myth #12

Now, anyone that has read my posts for awhile knows I do not advocate driving under the influence of anything.
When I am surrounded by 2 tons of metal going very fast with other hunks of metal, I want everyone's attention clear and focused.

I also agree that the mindset of some people (never mind their age) is "more is always better".
I've been smoking for 25 years and probably more often than most people who consider themselves "moderate smokers".
Depending on circumstances, moderate means different things to different people. Keeping a continual buzz all day and trying to get as high as you can are two different animals.

The main reasoning behind posting the article for me was the "I can't prove it but I know it's true" stance the government spokespeople took.
Whatever your feelings about smoking and driving, teens and adults, I think we can agree that taking that approach is not going to cut it with the majority of listeners.

Bluee

Might I ask what is 'rotary pursuit' and how is it tested, and what is an example of a test for digit-symbol substituion? I'd like to try and recreate these test results for myself.

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PotShot

Bleg, hopefully Johny boy will use this "driving while stoned" thing to make himself into more of an ass. "We don't have concrete research, but we have a good idea." lol

Cars are NEVER going to be 100% safe... unless of course robots are behind the wheel. And people are dangerous no matter what they are driving under the influence of, be it pot, alchohol, fatigue, or excesive emotion.

I call for making it illegal to drive under the influence of anger. While I have no "concrete statistics" I have a good idea that someone in anger's grasp is (at least)60% more likely to get in a crash.

Or what about driving under the influence of heated conversation? Or daydreaming while driving... I know I am guilty of that. What about driving under the influence of oral sex?(now that I think about it, that probely IS illegal )

At any rate I guess its fine to say "driving while REALLY REALLY stoned is bad", and society should punish such action... but how do you figure out how stoned someone is? Whiz Quizing is not that answer, because as we all are aware of, cannabis metabolites stick around our bodies long after we have toked up.

I guess it just comes down to good old research, and education of the masses. Of course research is against the law, and our government insist on mis-education, so I guess we are in quite the pickel eh? All I hope if that any new "driving under influence" laws are not crafted insidiously to persecute the cannabis culture.

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