Harper announces plans to crack down on drug-impaired drivers!!

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

So I guess we all are willing to forgo the body of scientific evidence that points to Marijuana not having a significant impact on road accidents, regardless of whether you smelled something skunky as you walked down the street, or whether you took a massive bong hit.

Good to know.

Where is this so called "body of evidence"?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

Where is this so called "body of evidence"?

Have you bothered to look for it, or question what you've been fed so far in any way?

You could start with Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs from 2002. There's a chapter on driving high on marijuana. The transportation safety boards of the UK, US and Australia also have studies which show the same thing, the US study dating back to 1992 (naturally, it was suppressed for almost 8 years.) as well as various other independent trials and surveys

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Have you bothered to look for it, or question what you've been fed so far in any way?

You could start with Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs from 2002. There's a chapter on driving high on marijuana. The transportation safety boards of the UK, US and Australia also have studies which show the same thing, the US study dating back to 1992 (naturally, it was suppressed for almost 8 years.) as well as various other independent trials and surveys

You are the one that brought up "body of evidence" it is up to you to prove your statement....not me trying to find what they hell you are talking about.

You will find evidence either way....and any common sense will tell you that if you are under the influence of most any drug...you will be impaired. Each drug impaired people at a different rate.

"While the effects of low doses of marijuana and alcohol were minimal, moderate doses of marijuana and alcohol combined were found to impair driving performance in city traffic situations. "

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...62/ai_65864156


"In statistical terms, both THC doses alone, and alcohol alone, significantly impaired the subjects' Road Tracking and Car Following performances"

"The magnitudes of impairment observed after these doses of THC alone were not especially large in historical comparison to those of other drugs and alcohol present in BACs above 0.08 g/dl. However, they do imply a loss of driving ability that could be serious in exceptional traffic situations"

"Both THC doses increased headway variability, and the highest, lateral position variability during car following. Both caused the subjects to ignore navigational information. The high dose caused the subjects to hit roadway obstacles more often and to react more slowly in the subsidiary task than the placebo."

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/...0808%20939.htm

[Flash Walken]

"At the present time, the evidence to suggest an involvement of cannabis in road crashes is scientifically unproven.
To date , seven studies using culpability analysis have been reported, involving a total of 7,934 drivers. Alcohol was detected as the only drug in 1,785 drivers, and together with cannabis in 390 drivers. Cannabis was detected in 684 drivers, and in 294 of these it was the only drug detected. The results to date of crash culpability studies have failed to demonstrate that drivers with cannabinoids in the blood are significantly more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes.

[In] cases in which THC was the only drug present were analyzed, the culpability ratio was found to be not significantly different from the no-drug group.

1. G. Chesher and M. Longo. 2002. Cannabis and alcohol in motor vehicle accidents.
In: F. Grotenhermen and E. Russo (Eds.) Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. New York: Haworth Press. Pp. 313-323.

"Cannabis leads to a more cautious style of driving, [but] it has a negative impact on decision time and trajectory. [However,] this in itself does not mean that drivers under the influence of cannabis represent a traffic safety risk. Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving."

2. Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. 2002.
Cannabis: Summary Report: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy. Ottawa. Chapter 8: Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis.

"This report has summarized available research on cannabis and driving. Evidence of impairment from the consumption of cannabis has been reported by studies using laboratory tests, driving simulators and on-road observation. ... Both simulation and road trials generally find that driving behavior shortly after consumption of larger doses of cannabis results in (i) a more cautious driving style; (ii) increased variability in lane position (and headway); and (iii) longer decision times. Whereas these results indicate a 'change' from normal conditions, they do not necessarily reflect 'impairment' in terms of performance effectiveness since few studies report increased accident risk.

3. UK Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (Road Safety Division). 2000.

"In conclusion, marijuana impairs driving behavior. However, this impairment is mitigated in that subjects under marijuana treatment appear to perceive that they are indeed impaired. Where they can compensate, they do, for example by not overtaking, by slowing down and by focusing their attention when they know a response will be required. Effects on driving behavior are present up to an hour after smoking but do not continue for extended periods. With respect to comparisons between alcohol and marijuana effects, these substances tend to differ in their effects. In contrast to the compensatory behavior exhibited by subjects under marijuana treatment, subjects who have received alcohol tend to drive in a more risky manner. Both substances impair performance; however, the more cautious behavior of subjects who have received marijuana decreases the impact of the drug on performance, whereas the opposite holds true for alcohol."

4. A. Smiley. 1999. Marijuana: On-Road and Driving-Simulator Studies. In: H. Kalant et al. (Eds)
The Health Effects of Cannabis. Toronto: Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Pp. 173-191.

"For each of 2,500 injured drivers presenting to a hospital, a blood sample was collected for later analysis. There was a clear relationship between alcohol and culpability. In contrast, there was no significant increase in culpability for cannabinoids alone. While a relatively large number of injured drivers tested positive for cannabinoids, culpability rates were no higher than those for the drug free group. This is consistent with other findings.

5. C. Hunter et al. 1998. The Prevalence and Role of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Benzodiazepines and Stimulants in Non-Fatal Crashes. Adelaide: South Australia: Forensic Science, Department for Administration and Information Services.

"Blood specimens were collected from a sample of 1,882 drivers from 7 states, during 14 months in the years 1990 and 1991. The sample comprised operators of passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles who died within 4 hours of their crash. While cannabinoids were detected in 7 percent of the drivers, the psychoactive agent THC was found in only 4 percent. The THC-only drivers had a responsibility rate below that of the drugfree drivers. While the difference was not statistically significant, there was no indication that cannabis by itself was a cause of fatal crashes.

6. K. Terhune. 1992. The incidence and role of drugs in fatally injured drivers. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Report No. DOT HS 808 065.

"Overall, it is possible to conclude that cannabis has a measurable effect on psychomotor performance, particularly tracking ability. Its effect on higher cognitive functions, for example divided attention tasks associated with driving, appear not to be as critical. Drivers under the influence of cannabis seem aware that they are impaired, and attempt to compensate for this impairment by reducing the difficulty of the driving task, for example by driving more slowly. In terms of road safety, it cannot be concluded that driving under the influence of cannabis is not a hazard, as the effects of various aspects of driver performance are unpredictable. However, in comparison with alcohol, the severe effects of alcohol on the higher cognitive processes of driving are likely to make this more of a hazard, particularly at higher blood alcohol levels.

7. B. Sexton et al. 2000. The influence of cannabis on driving:
A report prepared for the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Road Safety Division). Crowthorne, Berks:
TRL Limited.

[jolinar of malkshor]

I could go on and on aswell. Like I said...you will find evidence on both sides of the arguement. I for one would error on the side of caution.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

I could go on and on aswell. Like I said...you will find evidence on both sides of the arguement. I for one would error on the side of caution.

So then you distrust the governments of The United States, Canada, Britain and Australia?

That can be the only answer, as you yourself admit that you have no personal experience with the drug.

I will be sure to note that for future political discussions.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

So then you distrust the governments of The United States, Canada, Britain and Australia?

That can be the only answer, as you yourself admit that you have no personal experience with the drug.

I will be sure to note that for future political discussions.

Ah...god lord man.

You can take "I distrust the USA, Canada, Britian and Australia" out of the fact that I said proof can be found on either side of the arguement?

It's called scientific studies and the same government department can get different results on different experiments of the same nature. Why don't you stop putting words in my mouth and listen to what I have to say. Instead of being SOOO confrontational....maybe have an open mind.