BizzleShould Cannabis Be Regulated Like Alcohol?
CandelestineDUIs for both. Public intoxication not nearly as big a deal, being high in public is harmless. Secondhand smoke is no different from cigarettes though, so public smoking still needs to be regulated. 21+ for both. Did I miss any?
HubertManneThis seems about right.
kttnpunkI would argue cannabis, especially of the average potency, doesn't impair most EVERYDAY users any more than a cigarette might (those things spike your blood pressure and dehydrate you fast!!) but I just especially have to object to treating high driving exactly the same. As another user stated, the statistics are very clear. To quote a friend's dad "If you can't drive and smoke weed, you can't drive."
If we engineered our roadways around the idea that people would be operating with a reduced reaction speed than normal, this would be fine. But we didn't, everything is designed to be safe for normal operation.
Most isn't good enough. If it impairs 10% of people, and increases fatalities even a little bit, it should be a DUI, unless there is some kind of medical exemption or something.
It impairs maybe 10% of people. They should know better than to drive and the other 90% shouldn't be held responsible for their mistake. But reduced reaction speed? Nah, THC is magical in that it's a mental stimulant that almost slows down one's perception of time, you clearly haven't heard of hackey-sack or met anybody that plays FPS games at a serious level.
You don't get special rules just because you're special. That's just not how law works.
tell that to the police lol
... touche.
I don't think it's reasonable to say that because only 10% of drivers are reckless, we don't get to regulate the other 90% along with them. Of course if we had some magical wand that would tell us who the reckless drivers are, then we could only target the dangerous folks, but often that's impossible.
Often the best we can do is take a look at the data and see what kind of policies would not be horribly burdensome for the general public and yet would save a lot of lives, and then we institute those.
The other part of the problem with the 10% bad drivers argument is that bad drivers change from hour to hour, and from day to day. After all, the majority of people believe that they're good drivers, right?
pizza_rollsAs someone who has ingested a lot of weed, strong disagree. I don't know how anyone who has experienced being high can say they are not impaired. That's a mind blowing statement to me.
I definitely wouldn't say it impairs you in the same way being drunk does, but I also wouldn't say driving high is the same as driving sober. And if you are driving high you really need to cut that shit out. All it takes is one time where your reaction time is slightly decreased and it could be catastrophic.
Define "a lot of weed". Because weed hasn't impaired me since high school, and I've met a lot of everyday users who feel the exact same.
"Decreased reaction time" is absolutely a popular misconception IMHO, and that's a symptom of simple tiredness too -I'd argue pot is far from the #1 cause of it. Being a stimulant. I take mine with a ridiculous caffeine dependency though too so I could be a little biased.
Dude, just stop driving high. We live in a time where you can have everything delivered to your door, including someone showing up at your door to drive you somewhere. People who drive drunk also insist they are badasses that are not impaired.
So many functional alcoholics can drive seemingly perfectly fine, but letting people drive drunk is still incredibly stupid. Just because you have a high tolerance or whatever doesn’t mean you should be allowed to drive while stoned, regardless of if it’s just as impacting as being tired or whatever justification people use.
I'm with everything you said except smoking in public.
The difference between nicotine and THC are wildly different and second hand smoke from cannabis containing high amounts of THC well absolutely wreck somebody and should not be acceptable.
LadyAutumnYeah if you literally exhale it directly into someone’s mouth but if you’re both standing on opposite sides of an open air smoking area it really isn’t comparable in the slightest.
The problem with second hand cigarette smoke is also not nicotine, its the like 160 known carcinogens in cigarette smoke most of which comes from additives.
I won’t argue for cigarettes, they’re terrible.
But I do disagree with your sentiment regarding Marijuana. The cannabinoids and terpenes are still in what you exhale, just in a smaller amount. You’re still introducing foreign material to others unsolicited.
So then we should probably talk about car exhaust fumes, I inhale that every time I go outside unsolicited. What about people who are sick? They should probably be banned from public spaces too. And restaurants who cook with grease, you inhale that when you walk past them too.
A smoker smoking a J in a designated smoking area is literally not causing any more harm than any other person smoking in that area. Designated smoking areas exist for a reason. People smoke in society, its simply how it is. People are exposed to harmful substances in the form of gas and fumed every single day of their lives from a million different sources. Singling out people smoking weed is stupid and largely driven by misinformation.
wolfshadowheartOutdoors this idea is laughable. Smoking shouldn't be done indoors publicly anyway.
It should be regulated in terms of selling, because things like edibles can really mess someone up. While some people can handle a lot with no problem, it can get legitimately psychedelic for others. Regulation in shops allows for much better quality control and helps curate a positive experience for everyone.
But it absolutely should not be treated any differently than taking Adderall in the morning and driving or drinking caffeine and then driving, just like you said. Because a lot of people don’t react to THC in a way that inebriates them at all, as long as they don’t overdo the amount. Also, there’s no way to easily check someone’s active THC percentage, as that shit just stays in their system for a long time.
Statistics are very clear about how much lower a risk smoking and driving is compared to drinking, so nobody with just THC in their system should be being given a DUI unless we completely change how DUIs work in general.
While driving under the influence of marijuana is less risky than driving under the influence of alcohol, it can still be a dangerous activity. Of course, people who are going to drive after smoking should be aware of their limits and cautious not to get too high before driving.
I feel like its akin to coffee in severety but it is still a drug that imo kids shouldnt be smoking (but lets be real-life sucks but i digress). The label should state its psychoactive and be responsible and whatnot as well as an ID requirement. Driving while smoking is dependent on the person driving and generally safe but i think people SHOULD be smart enough to know if they are actually impaired.
People should also be smart enough to know they are too impaired to drive when drinking but they aren't. Self regulation won't work. A ban on driving under the influence will reduce the number of incidents.
There are some logistical issues with this as THC can stay much longer in your system. So regulating what counts as "under the influence" is more difficult and might even require new testing methods. Until then a flat ban is better than having more accidents.
Impaired is impaired. Shouldn’t drive if your ability is compromised, especially when most people only start off with half a clue.
killickI'm sorry, but I CANNOT agree. Coffee smells MUCH BETTER than weed. In fact, I think weed smells terrible. It reminds me of skunks. I would much rather smell coffee.
I'm sorry, but I CANNOT agree. Weed smells MUCH BETTER than coffee. In fact, I think coffee smells terrible. It reminds me of putrid morning breath. I would much rather smell weed.
ColonelSandersNot really sure why this is a question. If I have a cup of coffee, I am fine to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. If anything, my reaction time would be quicker. If I get high, I'm keeping my ass put on the couch/at home and if anything my reaction time is slower.
Nah. It’s way more impactful on reflexes than coffee.
Bigtime especially for heavy users.