Smoking Marijuana May Actually Make You A Safer Driver

[wordspeak2]

Here it is, folks- the final word on this controversial topic! To paraphrase Bill Hicks- don't you *dare* get behind that wheel unless you are properly stoned. Do I make myself clear?

http://www.businessinsider.com/it-turns ... er-2011-12

It Turns Out That Smoking Marijuana May Actually Make You A Safer Driver
Travis Okulski | Dec. 19, 2011, 10:55 AM | 6,469 | 13

An amazing study authored by professors D. Mark Anderson (University of Montana) and Daniel Rees (University of Colorado) shows that traffic deaths have been reduced in states where medical marijuana is legalized.
According to their findings, the use of medical marijuana has caused traffic related fatalities to fall by nearly nine percent in states that have legalized medical marijuana (via The Truth About Cars).
The study notes that this is equal to the effect raising the drinking age to 21 had on reducing traffic fatalities.
One key factor is the reduction in alcohol consumption. The study finds that there is a direct correlation between the use of marijuana and a reduction in beer sales, especially in the younger folks aged 20-29.
A drop in beer sales supports the theory that marijuana can act as a substitute for liquor.
The study also finds that marijuana has the inverse effect that alcohol does on drivers. Drivers under the influence of alcohol tend to make rash decisions and risky moves, whereas those under the influence of marijuana tend to slow down, make safer choices, and increase following distances.

[wordspeak2]

P.S. This "Business Insider" rag is interesting. It's very liberal. It's been supporting OWS.

[DoYouEverWonder]

A lot of people would rather smoke pot, but drink instead because they're afraid of getting drug tested.

[Gnomad]

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=23504

Feel free to post any relevant stuff there too for posterity.
Preferably also links to the actual studies, if posting news articles.

This is from that thread, probably why it is safer to drive stoned than drunk:

Neurophysiological functioning of occasional and heavy cannabis users during THC intoxication.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21975580

Also note this british study, actually giving people THC and making them drive:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1068625.stm

Researchers have confirmed that smoking cannabis can impair driving ability - but not as much as drinking alcohol.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in Crowthorne, Berkshire was asked by the government to investigate the effect of cannabis intoxication on driving ability.

Cannabis is by far the most common illegal drug found in the bloodstream of road accident victims.

The active ingredient, THC, can remain in the body for more than a month.

New Scientist magazine reports that the TRL team recruited 15 volunteers to complete tests on a sophisticated driving simulator while under the influence of low or high doses of cannabis.

The volunteers either smoked ready-rolled cannabis joints or rolled their own with resin supplied under government licence.

The researchers measured the volunteer's accuracy at steering the car, response to hazards and braking times.

They also took blood and saliva samples at regular intervals and also tested the subjects' coordination, balance and timing.

Slow driving

The most obvious effect of the cannabis was that the volunteers drove more slowly, trying to compensate for intoxication by being more cautious.

The volunteers also found it difficult to follow a figure-of-eight loop of road when given a high dose of cannabis.

However, reaction times to motorway hazards were not significantly affected.

Trials previously completed under similar test conditions at the TRL have shown that alcohol and tiredness have a more adverse effect on driving ability.

The results of the cannabis and driving study agree with similar research carried out in Australia, the US and Holland.

Pete Henshall of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, which is a British political party, said: "Any person who is not in full control of their body should not drive, be it through tiredness, alcohol, cannabis or drugs.

"But everything must be seen in proportion. We need to legalise and regulate cannabis in a similar way to alcohol to be able to see the size of the problem."

Jane Eason, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, supported trials currently underway of roadside tests for cannabis intoxication.

She said: "We would welcome any measure that might make the roads of Britain safer."

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, which commissioned the research, refused to comment until the report is officially published.

[Simulist]

[wordspeak2]

Thanks, Gnomad. I knew there was an RI medical marijuana data dump somewhere- appreciate the link. I remember the British study. Yeah, driving high is something that legalization activists usually submit to anti-pot people is a horrible thing, but I think we should take the reality stance on it. Someone's got to tell the truth. Now, seriously, I realize that some people do not drive better high, especially if they're not experienced cannabis users. That doesn't mean it should be illegal, though. I just to my grandma all about it over Christmas... she was also interested to hear the total number of recorded deaths in history from this plant: 0.

[Elvis]

she was also interested to hear the total number of recorded deaths in history from this plant: 0.

Many, many years ago when a chemist friend had to go away for awhile, they left their notes for safekeeping, including a small card-file box. One day we checked the card file for info on something or other and noticed a card for "Hashish" which contained but a single data point: "fatal dose: 1 lb."

[Gnomad]

That is probably way too little.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lib ... erdose.htm

In summary, enormous doses of Delta 9 THC, All THC and concentrated marihuana extract ingested by mouth were unable to produce death or organ pathology in large mammals but did produce fatalities in smaller rodents due to profound central nervous system depression.

The non-fatal consumption of 3000 mg/kg A THC by the dog and monkey would be comparable to a 154-pound human eating approximately 46 pounds (21 kilograms) of 1%-marihuana or 10 pounds of 5% hashish at one time. In addition, 92 mg/kg THC intravenously produced no fatalities in monkeys. These doses would be comparable to a 154-pound human smoking at one time almost three pounds (1.28 kg) of 1%-marihuana or 250,000 times the usual smoked dose and over a million times the minimal effective dose assuming 50% destruction of the THC by smoking.

Thus, evidence from animal studies and human case reports appears to indicate that the ratio of lethal dose to effective dose is quite large. This ratio is much more favorable than that of many other common psychoactive agents including alcohol and barbiturates (Phillips et al. 1971, Brill et al. 1970).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydro ... l#Toxicity

There has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabis in its natural form, [22] though the synthetic THC pill Marinol was cited by the FDA as being responsible for 4 of the 11,687 deaths from 17 different FDA approved drugs between January 1, 1997 to June 30, 2005.[23] Information about THC's toxicity is primarily based on results from animal studies. The toxicity depends on the route of administration and the laboratory animal. Absorption is limited by serum lipids, which can become saturated with THC, mitigating toxicity.[24] According to the Merck Index, 12th edition, THC has an LD50 (dose killing half of the research subjects) value of 1270 mg/kg (male rats) and 730 mg/kg (female rats) administered orally dissolved in sesame oil.[25] The LD50 value for rats by inhalation of THC is 42 mg/kg of body weight.[25]

That is a massive safety margin, compared to almost any compound that has physiological effects.

[sunny]

The only danger I am aware of from smoking marijuana is grocery shopping while high. True story.

Years ago I worked for a company that would do drug tests when money went missing from the till. The presence of pot in an employees' results was considered no big deal. I mean, who ever heard of a strung out pothead committing robbery for a fix? We just can't be bothered to get that worked up about it.

[wordspeak2]

Wow, using drug tests with sincere intent- that's almost unheard of. Very true, though, stoned people don't tend to steal much; cokeheads certainly do. I was robbed at gunpoint by some cokeheads.

Grocery shopping while really high is, indeed, a somewhat dangerous activity, and doubly so if you're really hungry ("Half Baked" mocked it well).

My personal humble realization as of late is that I need lots of indica at night (I like to vaporize, mostly, over smoking). I've been a "sativa-and-fly" type my whole life, so this is a bit different for me. The whole relaxing thing. What a fucking amazing plant. It's like- it does whatever you need, pretty much. Need to relax? Done. Sleep? Done. Focus? Done. Party with amigos? Done.

Allow me to quote Douglass Rushkoff, who penned a lovely essay pontificating on cannabis as a spirit ally in the new "The Pot Book," edited by Julie Holland:

"For a white kid getting stoned means seeing the world as the Native Americans did. The Earth isn't just something you pave over for cars to move faster. Animals aren't made of 'meat.' And the guy who mops up for you in the high school cafeteria wasn't born a janitor. You live in the same world he does. The longer you're unable to see it, the uglier it's going to be for you when you do. Dig?"

[sunny]

What a fucking amazing plant. It's like- it does whatever you need, pretty much. Need to relax? Done. Sleep? Done.

Mother Nature's valium.

"For a white kid getting stoned means seeing the world as the Native Americans did. The Earth isn't just something you pave over for cars to move faster. Animals aren't made of 'meat.' And the guy who mops up for you in the high school cafeteria wasn't born a janitor. You live in the same world he does. The longer you're unable to see it, the uglier it's going to be for you when you do. Dig?"

Mother Nature's cure for fascism.

[wordspeak2]

Mother Nature's cure for fascism.[/quote]

I like that.

[sunny]

I have proof. Anecdotal, but still..

[wordspeak2]

"Neo Nazi Girl Group Cured of their Hate With Marijuana"

Yeah, that wins my "favorite story of the year"! Should be posted far and wide.

This is an extremely entertaining 8-minute Terence McKenna clip about the role of cannabis in his life, complete with a hilarious story of his experiment with quitting cannabis for a month or so in order to write a book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e-79-Z5Kg0

[wordspeak2]

Check out this one; new research shows that RAW cannabis has unparalleled medicinal value: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0VUsak2o9E