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Cannabis and Driving
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gaspard
Yab Yum
Started Topics :
50
Posts :
641
Posted : Nov 8, 2007 13:04
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brasirc
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
299
Posted : Nov 8, 2007 22:27
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i guess thats totally right, im still 100% no accidents up to today...
hope it stays like that for a few more years >=)
  un-fucking-believable |
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Psycosmo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
42
Posts :
787
Posted : Nov 9, 2007 03:10
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On the other hand cannabis can increase reaction time, so it could still be that cannabis is bad for driving in certain situations (for example if you have to hit the brakes very quickly).
Most of these studies seem to be about driving under normal circumstances, rather than dealing with an acute danger, in which case I would be surprised if cannabis had no effect of degrading performance.
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brasirc
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
299
Posted : Nov 9, 2007 04:18
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Quote:
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On 2007-11-09 03:10, Psycosmo wrote:
On the other hand cannabis can increase reaction time, so it could still be that cannabis is bad for driving in certain situations (for example if you have to hit the brakes very quickly).
Most of these studies seem to be about driving under normal circumstances, rather than dealing with an acute danger, in which case I would be surprised if cannabis had no effect of degrading performance.
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errrr... did you even read the thing?
you are describing alcohol effects...
"drivers who consumed a moderate amount of pot typically refrained from passing cars and drove at a more consistent speed."
"drivers under the influence of cannabis were more cautious and less likely to drive dangerously."
in other words, you would prolly be in more risk while not beeing high, since when under effect, you tend to be more careful and pay more attention...since you know you gotta focus =p
un-fucking-believable |
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Psycosmo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
42
Posts :
787
Posted : Nov 12, 2007 06:27
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errrr.... I think you misread my post, you seem to be confused about what my point was.
The things you cite, passing cars, overall speed, and general safe driving habits, all deal with normal situations.
They are distinct from a situation such as a person or animal running across the road with a car just behind on a rainy day, where a VERY rapid decision must be made. These are ACUTE dangers.
Overall, I would expect cannabis to have little effect, or even a positive effect on safety, because as you point out people know they are stoned, so they compensate by trying harder to control their speed and pay attention. A good thing about cannabis is that it is more likely to make people underconfident as opposed to alcohol making people over confident. That is a real plus when driving.
But in CERTAIN SITUATIONS, where "taking your time" is not an option, things could be different.
The lines you cited all referred to general driving behavior and not challenging situations that require rapid decision making and motor response.
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juice
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
59
Posts :
2081
Posted : Nov 12, 2007 14:51
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smoke nd walk................the best
Studies indicate that listening to music is good for digestion. |
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brasirc
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
299
Posted : Nov 13, 2007 05:55
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Quote:
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On 2007-11-12 06:27, Psycosmo wrote:
errrr.... I think you misread my post, you seem to be confused about what my point was.
The things you cite, passing cars, overall speed, and general safe driving habits, all deal with normal situations.
They are distinct from a situation such as a person or animal running across the road with a car just behind on a rainy day, where a VERY rapid decision must be made. These are ACUTE dangers.
Overall, I would expect cannabis to have little effect, or even a positive effect on safety, because as you point out people know they are stoned, so they compensate by trying harder to control their speed and pay attention. A good thing about cannabis is that it is more likely to make people underconfident as opposed to alcohol making people over confident. That is a real plus when driving.
But in CERTAIN SITUATIONS, where "taking your time" is not an option, things could be different.
The lines you cited all referred to general driving behavior and not challenging situations that require rapid decision making and motor response.
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yes, indeed, but under those acute dangers, i belive there are more things that comes in consideration...i mean, a really good driver, even stoned...would perform better then a begginer driver, or a not so good driver, even under no effect whatsoever...same goes for reflexes, you can be stoned...but there are people out there who are simply dumb and slow, or who multitasks...i cant multitask for shit when stoned... 
but you do have a solid point, which cant be denied...
un-fucking-believable |
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psysnoopy
Started Topics :
5
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1331
Posted : Nov 13, 2007 11:31
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On 2007-11-12 14:51, juice wrote:
smoke nd walk................the best
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No...No..Noooooooooo
Smoke and Sleep is the best 
cuz for me even walking is dangerous 
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lehobbit
Started Topics :
2
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44
Posted : Nov 13, 2007 20:02
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Hmmm.....
Here in france they've just started using a dope test (balloon, same as for alcohol), which will probably be a catastrophe for anyone going from or coming to festivals etc.....or even for anyone with long hair.....
But they still haven't thought (apperently) of inventing a reflex test; this would be fairer for everybody; who cares what you've consumed?The importance is if you can drive safely.....
Imagine; if my girlfriend suddenly throws me out, I'll probably be paying much less attention to the road than if I'd smoked a huge joint (having said that, I'd probably smoke a huge one anyway); in a dangerous situation, I'd probably run over a kid without noticing, thinking about what a bitch my girlfriend was!
By the way, France is the biggest consumer of pharmaceutical drugs in the world (correct me if I'm wrong), and there's no test for that!
As usual, road safety passes by mindless oppression......
BUT!!!!! Funnily enough, when I drive my car I smoke like a chimney, but when I drive my bus, I don't smoke all day until I get where I'm going.....
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Psycosmo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
42
Posts :
787
Posted : Nov 14, 2007 01:22
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Quote:
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On 2007-11-13 20:02, lehobbit wrote:
Hmmm.....
Here in france they've just started using a dope test (balloon, same as for alcohol), which will probably be a catastrophe for anyone going from or coming to festivals etc.....or even for anyone with long hair.....
But they still haven't thought (apperently) of inventing a reflex test; this would be fairer for everybody; who cares what you've consumed?The importance is if you can drive safely.....
Imagine; if my girlfriend suddenly throws me out, I'll probably be paying much less attention to the road than if I'd smoked a huge joint (having said that, I'd probably smoke a huge one anyway); in a dangerous situation, I'd probably run over a kid without noticing, thinking about what a bitch my girlfriend was!
By the way, France is the biggest consumer of pharmaceutical drugs in the world (correct me if I'm wrong), and there's no test for that!
As usual, road safety passes by mindless oppression......
BUT!!!!! Funnily enough, when I drive my car I smoke like a chimney, but when I drive my bus, I don't smoke all day until I get where I'm going.....
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You raise some excellent points that it would be nice if politicians thought about.
Even though cannabis and driving overall pretty safe, I still think it is in principal reasonable to prohibit driving stoned, and I think people should refrain from smoking and driving, if only because it makes bad press and we need good press if we want the legal situation to change.
I think that cognitive/reflex testing is an excellent idea, one which I wish got more attention. I have heard that some workplaces do this, it's a great idea. Poor sleep, random bad mood, stress etc can all effect performance, and safety would be increased if such methods were employed on the road and on the job.
With the exception of a very few drugs (actually only ethanol afik) relating measurements to intoxication is tricky. Because ethanol is passed through the body very quickly relative to other drugs (cannabis being at the other extreme). Even with ethanol, the same concentration can affect people very differently.
And, as you point out, prescription drugs can impair driving too (benzos even have a warning about driving or operating heavy machinery), why is there not a specific breathalyzer for them???
There are way too many psychoactive substances in use to develop a quick, easy, inexpensive test to precisely determine concentrations of their active ingredients in blood, and even then its a rough estimate at best. It would be impossible to chemically distinguish the difference between a regular marijuana user who has taken a few puffs off a joint going around one who has smoked 3 fat joints back to back. Cognitive testing would reveal that, Im pretty sure.
I wonder, if cars came equipped with cognitive and reflex tests that you could go through when starting your car would reduce accidents, just by making people more self-aware about their cognitive/reflex state.
Maybe cars could even come equipped with sensors that analyze how you are driving and flash a warning light when signs of poor reflexes are detected.
I wonder if someone has developed such a thing already?
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juice
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
59
Posts :
2081
Posted : Nov 14, 2007 09:39
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On 2007-11-13 11:31, psysnoopy wrote:
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On 2007-11-12 14:51, juice wrote:
smoke nd walk................the best
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No...No..Noooooooooo
Smoke and Sleep is the best
cuz for me even walking is dangerous
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its like waste of stff........
Studies indicate that listening to music is good for digestion. |
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lehobbit
Started Topics :
2
Posts :
44
Posted : Nov 14, 2007 11:17
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Cheers, Psycosmo....
Why drink and drive, when you can smoke and fly...... |
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Yellow Warrior
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
898
Posted : Nov 15, 2007 12:10
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Quote:
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On 2007-11-13 11:31, psysnoopy wrote:
Quote:
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On 2007-11-12 14:51, juice wrote:
smoke nd walk................the best
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No...No..Noooooooooo
Smoke and Sleep is the best
cuz for me even walking is dangerous
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Che......Whats a waste...... 
Might as well have a good meal and sleep.
Rather than feeling that you're about to have the rug pulled from under you, let me teach you how to dance on a flying carpet |
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Dennis the menace
DevilsDennis Sparris McHilton
Started Topics :
128
Posts :
2899
Posted : Nov 20, 2007 18:12
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i got my licence while beeing stoned
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faxinadu
Faxi Nadu / Elmooht
Started Topics :
282
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3394
Posted : Nov 20, 2007 22:35
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