Marijuana: Facts, Myths, and plain old Stupidity.

[TroutBum]

For some reason, the debate about pot has blown up in the general NBA forum: https://jazzfanz.com/showthread.php?7245-NBA-players-using-quot-lockout-quot-money-wisely/page4 and I just don't think it's getting the attention that it deserves.

I am really hoping to hear from GVC and Nate505 on this issue, since they have a sincere knowledge and fanaticism of marijuana and it's uses/abuses. In case you were wondering, this is what's been going on in the other thread:

Marijuana has roughly the same impairment as coffee, but in the opposite way. Coffee wires you up, marijuana calms you down. Neither is anything like alcohol, and neither impairs the ability to drive.

Come, let us reason together.

 

[GVC]

Here's a handy reference: https://drugwarfacts.org/factbook.pdf
Disclaimer: This document was published by Common Sense for Drug Policy (LEGALIZERS, GASP!) and published in Canada. I realize 80% of you will dismiss it on those grounds.

The studies cited on page 16 (#7) conclude that cannabis does impair driving, but not as much or as badly as alcohol does. With alcohol, people tend to drive faster and be relatively less aware of their intoxication and impairment. With cannabis, people tend to drive slower and be relatively more aware of their intoxication and impairment.

Driving in the city at night whilst blazed is fun as hell, no doubt, and even though you're better off doing so than you are drinking or texting or putting on makeup or all of the above and driving, it's probably not a good idea.

Anyone who's tried to smoke and do math should have an acute understanding of the effects of cannabis.

 

[GVC]

Anyway, the War on Drugs is an abject failure, and thus a complete waste of money. It has served as a giant subsidy to organized crime, just as alcohol prohibition did in the 20s. It makes keeping cannabis and hard drugs out of the hands of youngsters more difficult, increases violent crime, and puts otherwise productive, tax-paying people behind bars. It's one of the reasons I'd rather be in Canada, even though the Harper government is trying to adopt US Drug War policies (they've already pushed through mandatory sentences for anyone growing 6+ cannabis plants).

**** the police.

 

[DutchJazzer]

i dont care if its bad or good. every adult should have the option to choose what to do aslong as it hurts no one else

 

[DutchJazzer]

heck even the alcohol over 21 rule SUCKS.
if my son is 18 i want him to make his own choice to drink or not to not the stuppid fracking goverment

 

[SaltyDawg]

I just posted this response to you (Trout) in the other thread. If we're moving the discussion here then I guess I might as well copy and paste it here.

Trout, I make this post fully understanding that your last s2minem style multi quote post totally fit the standard m.o. of this board (ad hominem based, you must be right because you pointed out that a particular poster is a jackass most of the time).

Apparently you missed the part where the actual government studies were posted so I'll repost them for you.

The one I posted which shows marijuana use "does not appear to play a significant role in on-road traffic accidents":
https://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5450

And the one SalmonHobo posted (who was debating against me in the thread, but unlike you actually attempted to use some facts instead of your standard "you must be wrong because I think you're a jackass"):
https://www.duiblog.com/2009/04/23/does-marijuana-affect-driving-ability/

So as you can see if you bother to read those links, my opinion that marijuana does not affect your ability to drive is based on facts. Not only has it been my own experience, but also the government studies had similar conclusions.

And I also said that I think smoking way too much would affect the ability to drive, just like doing way too much of anything else will also affect the ability to drive. So no need to even go there.

 

[bigb]

i dont care if its bad or good. every adult should have the option to choose what to do aslong as it hurts no one else

Who chooses what hurts someone else? What do you base that on? Driving technically doesn't hurt anyone else, until someone runs a red light and blindsides another car, leaving that person in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Are we no longer going to be allowed to choose if we drive?

 

[SaltyDawg]

Who chooses what hurts someone else? What do you base that on? Driving technically doesn't hurt anyone else, until someone runs a red light and blindsides another car, leaving that person in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Are we no longer going to be allowed to choose if we drive?

We should be able to drive, as it doesn't (usually) hurt anyone else. But if we run a red light and leave someone in a wheelchair, then we should pay the consequences for it.

 

[freakazoid]

Who chooses what hurts someone else? What do you base that on? Driving technically doesn't hurt anyone else, until someone runs a red light and blindsides another car, leaving that person in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Are we no longer going to be allowed to choose if we drive?

When was the last time someone was crippled because someone else sat at home and smoked a joint?

 

[SaltyDawg]

When was the last time someone was crippled because someone else sat at home and smoked a joint?

You could also ask when was the last time someone was crippled because someone else drove after smoking a joint? It happens every day with alcohol. I don't think I've ever seen a story where someone smoked a joint and crashed though.

 

[TroutBum]

Here's a handy reference: https://drugwarfacts.org/factbook.pdf
Disclaimer: This document was published by Common Sense for Drug Policy (LEGALIZERS, GASP!) and published in Canada. I realize 80% of you will dismiss it on those grounds.

The studies cited on page 16 (#7) conclude that cannabis does impair driving, but not as much or as badly as alcohol does. With alcohol, people tend to drive faster and be relatively less aware of their intoxication and impairment. With cannabis, people tend to drive slower and be relatively more aware of their intoxication and impairment.

Driving in the city at night whilst blazed is fun as hell, no doubt, and even though you're better off doing so than you are drinking or texting or putting on makeup or all of the above and driving, it's probably not a good idea.

Anyone who's tried to smoke and do math should have an acute understanding of the effects of cannabis.

GVC bringing the heat. As if all of the other articles and studies weren't enough, this one should pretty much seal the deal.

Thank you Thomas, thank you.

 

[bigb]

We should be able to drive, as it doesn't (usually) hurt anyone else. But if we run a red light and leave someone in a wheelchair, then we should pay the consequences for it.

The point I was TRYING to make (I'm guessing I failed) is that who chooses for us what's safe? Statistics show one thing, but others may feel something else. I've never smoked pot, so I honestly can't say what the effects are. I'm just throwing a hypothetical out there.
Your premise that we should pay the consequences for our actions is a nice theory, but seldom actually practiced.