Question : Pot and driving

[droidamus2]

I have a question. I read and hear many people using driving under the influence/while high as a reason to not legalize pot (yeah like people don't do it all the time now). My question to those out there with experience is how much do you think being high effects your ability to drive a motor vehicle? I know it doesn't effect you motor skills the way alcohol does. To me the only worry about being high and driving is if it causes you to not concentrate on what your doing. I never had that problem but what do you think, pot and driving, good? bad? no effect?

[polichick]

1. It's better than alcohol imo, but driving under the influence of either is irresponsible.

[Taverner]

2. Depends.

The dirty little secret about all intoxication and driving is that if you do it regularly, you get better at it.

Some people I've known to get high and be much better drivers, always going the speed limit and being hyper aware of the environment around them. Some people have been total spazzes that I wouldn't want in the room, let alone driving a car.

Given that as the case, I would rather it be illegal to drive stoned - just for safety's sake.

[mike_c]

3. my sense is that pot doesn't affect the motor skills or judgement...

...nearly as much as alcohol, but it certainly affects your perception of the world around you, changing the way you experience time, distance, cause and effect, and so on. I have driven when stoned, of course, but I generally don't like to and try pretty hard to avoid it. It's not much FUN, at least not for me-- I worry too much about whether I'm impaired-- something that drunk drivers don't seem to do nearly enough.

[paulsby]

14. the NHTSA studies show pot impairs driving

period.

to what extent depends on the level of THC and the person's individual body chemistry. but it IS undeniable that pot negatively affects driving performance.

[mike_c]

16. that doesn't surprise me....

Having had the experience-- I mean, I've smoked pot most of my life and I'm in my fifties-- it's not something I enjoy at all. Driving while stoned, that is. I RARELY do it because it doesn't feel good.

If we were meant to drive stoned, how come we have comfy chairs, big speakers, and Cheetos in the pantry at home? I ask you....

[paulsby]

17. we also have different sobriety tests

for pot vs. alcohol.

for example, with alcohol suspected, i just show a picture of a really ugly person and ask the person "would you have sex with this person?"

with pot, i approach the vehicle carrying a bag of stale cheetos and if the person attacks me to get the cheetohs, you know they are stoned!

[Kali]

4. the reason for recreational substance use is to alter feelings and perceptions,

in virtually all cases one really shouldn't drive in an altered state.

it used to make me drive too slow

[SheilaT]

5. Personally I have never driven

while under the influence of pot, never while drunk, perhaps twice after having had a glass of wine. I'm very rigid with myself about drinking and driving, and it's been many years since I've smoked pot.

Once I was riding with a driver who was VERY stoned, and he was driving so slowly it was somewhat hilarious. Fortunately it was on a Sunday morning and there was no traffic where we were driving. It is my opinion that driving under the influence of any mind or mood altering drug is a bad idea. Defenders of pot don't think that they are very impaired, or that the impairment isn't as bad as the alcohol impairment. For me, impairment is impairment.

At least there has been a lot of societal pressure against drinking and driving in recent years, and as a consequence alcohol-related traffic accidents and fatalities are down noticeably. If pot becomes legal (and I think it ought to be) we need to have similar social constraints against consuming and driving. Yes, there will always be those who consume and then drive, as currently there are those who drink and then drive, but we can't regulate the behavior of others at all times.

[fascisthunter]

6. Those who are Saying That Crap Either Never Smoked, or Trying to Find SOmething

anything to dissuade so many people these days from allowing marijuana to be legalized. I've driven while high.... If anything, it'll make you drive slowerrrr...

[paulsby]

19. this is the kind of crap

that hurts the cause of legalization, which i support.

it is the "pot as benign" influence theory.

one should NOT drive under the influence of pot.

and NHTSA has proven that it has a negative effect on driving.

one should advocate for responsible pot use, NOT the fantasy that it just makes you "drive slower". that's about as socially responsible as the old road films showing dean martin et al cruising down the road quaffing martinis.

you are claiming that criminal and dangerous behavior is a-ok.

it hurts the cause of legalization, and there is ample evidence pot negatively affects driving.

when driving you are taking control of a dangerous, heavy, deadly weapon. that is not to be taken lightly, and certainly NOT while stoned

[kristopher]

22. Hmmm....

Marijuana's impairing effects on driving are moderate when taken alone but severe when combined with alcohol
H. Robbe *
Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

*Correspondence to H. Robbe, Bakken Research Center, P.O. Box 1220, 6201 MP Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Keywords
marijuana • cannabis • alcohol • driving performance • impairment

Abstract

Previous experimental and epidemiological studies failed to provide unequivocal evidence that marijuana, either alone or in combination with alcohol, impairs a driver's performance to the extent that it will compromise traffic safety.

We investigated the effects of marijuana, alone and in combination with alcohol, on actual driving in four, single-blind, randomized, cross-over studies. In Study 1, 24 subjects performed a road-tracking test on a closed segment of a primary highway after smoking marijuana that contained 0, 100, 200 and 300 g/ kg 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

In Study 2, 16 new subjects smoked the same THC doses before they performed a road-tracking and a car-following test; however, this time in the presence of other traffic.

In Study 3, two groups of 16 subjects performed a city driving test. One group smoked marijuana delivering 0 and 100 g/ kg THC prior to driving; the other group drunk orange juice mixed with or without a low dose of alcohol.

In Study 4, 18 subjects performed a road-tracking and a car-following test in each of six conditions where they smoked marijuana with 0, 100, or 200 g/ kg THC after they had consumed orange juice with or without alcohol.

In these studies, marijuana alone significantly increased lateral position variability in the road-tracking test and distance variability during deceleration manoeuvres in the car-following test.

Reaction times during car-following were not significantly affected, and a THC dose of 100 g/ kg did not impair city driving performance.

Blood plasma concentrations of THC and THC-COOH were not related to the degree of impairment.

A low dose of alcohol (i.e. blood alcohol concentrations around 0·04%) impaired performance in all driving tests.

Whereas marijuana's effects on driving performance were small (100 g/ kg THC) or moderate (200 and 300 g/ kg) when taken alone, they were severe when combined with a low dose of alcohol.

In conclusion, marijuana alone impairs driving performance, with the degree of impairment increasing from small to moderate as the THC dose increases from 100 to 300 g/ kg.

However, when low to moderate doses of THC (100 and 200 g/ kg) are taken in combination with a low dose of alcohol sufficient for attaining a BAC of about 0·04% actual driving is severely impaired.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/4287/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Decades ago, when I did the evil weed regular, I found I drove waaaaay toooo slooooooow . . .

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:smoke:

[kestrel91316]

8. We never got high and then drove in college. We would smoke a joint

around the table in the evening for study break. And then we would eat. Later we would go to bed.

I know - REALLY EXCITING.

[Warpy]

9. It certainly does slow your reaction time

but people who are stoned know they're impaired. Contrast that with drinkers, who often tell people (and themselves) they do everything better with a couple of drinks under their belts. They perform poorly on tests, but even that doesn't convince them. The alcohol talks louder.

I drove from time to time when I was slightly buzzed, but I was always so aware that I was buzzed that I stuck to back streets and probably overcompensated. I preferred not having to drive, period, and only did so in unanticipated situations that called for it.

I can say, however, that I have never driven drunk. Being a 13 year old drinker with road rash from falling off the bicycle convinced me that no, I did not function better after a beer or two.

[paulsby]

10. i *know* (not just think) from reading NHTSA studies

and investigating hundreds of DUI's (both alcohol and drugs), that marijuana does have a negative effect on driving performance.

interestingly, SOME drugs (licit and illicit) improve driving performance up to a certain dose (U shaped response curve).

cocaine and caffeine for example IMPROVE driving ability. up to a point.

NHTSA has already done the studies. does mj negatively affect driving ? yes.

depending on the strength of the mj (thc levels), the person's tolerance, etc. it is hard to make an exact comparison to, for example a .10 BAC level, but suffice it to say you shouldn't drive after smoking a joint.

ironic you asked this. i did a DUI drug investigation (methadone and clonazepam iirc) just yesterday.

[sniffa]

11. I've never been in an accident

while stoned. I can't speak for anyone else.

[ellenfl]

12. the thing with pot is that you concentrate too much.

:hippie: at least that's how i remember it. i drove too slowly and carefully . . . so as not to attract the gendarmes. but that was a long time ago and, as they say, if you remember the 60's, you weren't there.

that said, driving too slowly can be as hazardous as driving too fast. you get daredevils that get annoyed if you poke along . . . which is more who i am now (the daredevil, not the pokey driver). :eyes: speeding is more dangerous imo, tho'. collision damage is less at 30mph than 60.

ellen fl

[hvn_nbr_2]

13. It may a very individual thing

Once quite awhile ago, I was camping out and got high, then drove up to the ranger station to get a bundle of firewood. OMG! I never again drove high. Even though it was on a campground road with no traffic and going about 10 mph, my foot kept sliding off the clutch pedal and I had to be very careful just to get there and back safely. On the other hand, I've had friends who regularly drove high and claimed that it didn't affect them at all.

[ConcernedCanuk]

15. you are correct - it is an individual thing - people's tolerances differ

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I remember about 20 years ago working with friends on a carpentry renovation job

We'd leave the site for lunch and have a few beers - the other guys also would smoke a joint, I'd decline

Then I said what the hell - peer pressure ya know?

so I took a few puffs, felt fine then back to the job site

well

one of my jobs was cutting boards to length - we were doing tongue and groove cedar on an inside wall going to a peak, so every board had to be cut on an angle

measurements were square on one end, and the other end would have two measurements called "heel" and "toe"

well - I kept forgetting what the measurements were

ruined a few hundred dollars of boards

(tongue and groove cedar ain't cheap)

and never smoked on the job again

BUT

the OTHER guys

performed great with a few tokes

so yeah

it's an individual thing there . . .

[bamacrat]

18. In my experience it really just makes you aware of the little things that you usually do notice.

Like keeping the car straight in the lane, when youre drunk you dont notice youre driving poorly. When you're high you realize that youre driving in a lane and notice that the car may drift to one side or the other occasionally. But you are definitely more cautious which may or may not be a good thing. You dont speed as with alcohol, you dont feel "invincible", but I agree with most everyone, its not advisable to drive under the influence of anything. Its too risky and usually unnecessary. Plus the urge to just go drive is a billion times less when youre high than drunk. so..

[Taitertots]

20. Driving while stoned

Not exactly a scientific experiment, but Top Gear did a bit about driving stoned. Their stoned driver did as good on a driving test while noticeably stoned.


I know a guy who got a dui for being stoned while driving. If you show a perceivable level of marijuana intoxication then you can get brought in.

[droidamus2]

21. check it out

I did some research on the internet and among tests that actually measured the effect on actual driving proficiency the conclusions were that marijuana had some effect on driving mostly in maintaining position in the lane and maintaining speed. The studies also pointed out that unlike those that have consumed alcohol marijuana users new they were 'impaired' and compensated by being more cautious and concentrating more. The studies said that pot impairment was within the range that is accepted for prescribed medications and less than alcohol. One study by NIDA didn't actually test driving capability but instead had people get stoned and then put them through a standard sobriety test (stand on one foot for 30 seconds, touch finger to nose) and they said their conclusion was that smoking pot could have an effect on driving. They also tried to make a correlation between actual accidents and the percentage of those drivers with THC in their systems. Of course later on they pointed out that most of these people had alcohol in their systems as well. Personally I have trouble standing on one foot for 30 seconds whether I'm impaired or not. So as others here have stated it is probably never a good idea to drive when you are 'on' anything but the studies seem to indicate that the danger from marijuana is minimal.