Driving while stoned or getting stoned then immediately driving… a bad idea… right?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Okay, I’m going to share a Twitter exchange between myself and another individual.  I’m not a user of Marijuana.  I likely never will be.  That said I think it ought to be legal and if used recreationally… just be careful.

The individual with whom I’m interacting claims I have no clue what I’m talking about and that there is no problem with smoking a joint before driving or while driving.  She isn’t wrong.  I have no first had experience with that.  However, I know the impacts of alcohol on driver performance while operating a motor vehicle and it seems to me (and the CDC agrees) that smoking a joint and then immediately hopping into the drivers seat, or smoking a joint while driving, seems like a very bad plan.  

Am I not correct?

 

Edited February 14 by Ser Scot A Ellison

[Madame deVenoge]

I would definitely go with the CDC on this one.

I drink - sometimes excessively. When I drink excessively, I walk or get an Uber. Not to say we all haven’t made mistakes before, and I’m no exception…but there are reasons why the highway patrol has the ad campaign “buzzed driving is drunk driving” - and they will totally arrest you UNDER 0.08 and call it “impaired”. Not worth it.

[Crixus]

I used to drive stoned back when I was in Uni in Pakistan - where the law is lax at best lol (plus I was a stupid kid). Luckily nothing bad ever happened, but I do remember staring into space with glazed eyes whilst people honked angrily at me since I'd utterly missed the changing traffic signals. I also remember feeling like a 10 minute drive actually took an hour or alternately, an hour long drive passed in minutes.

So not advisable, imo. 

[Mexal]

For the most part, the biggest issue with driving while stoned is slower reaction times. It's less how you drive and more how you react to those who drive around you. it's very very different from driving while drunk and in my opinion, not equally dangerous, but it's still dangerous.

[Spockydog]

I suppose it is a matter of tolerance. I can smoke a spliff that would drop a baby elephant without actually getting stoned.

Mobile phone use at the wheel is far more dangerous.

Having said that, I am vehemently anti-drunk/stoned driving.

[Argonath Diver]

I smoke daily, but same as drinking I'm not about to smoke a whole joint then drive down the interstate. It certainly impairs your reactions and makes things like the radio more of an active distraction, and I'd be risking lives if I drove down the street for late night cravings same as if I left the bar after six shots of Jameson and drove home. Hooray for Uber and delivery. 

Full disclosure I have no ethical qualms with a nice light sativa toke in the afternoon before work. Similar to alcohol, an experienced drinker isn't going to go on a driving rampage after a beer at work lunch, but they certainly shouldn't get behind the wheel after a proper session.

And I also loathe swerving, speed-altering, no signaling assholes with their eyes clearly looking down from their windshield. I live behind a high school and these kids are emotionally and physically incapable of making it a few blocks without checking their socials. I see or hear a fender bender literally twice a week in my apartment complex and it's 95% between 3 and 4pm.

Edited February 14 by Argonath Diver

[Madame deVenoge]

@Argonath Diver - dude, the best thing I love about driving sober is that I can be aggressive af. I don’t swerve or change lanes without signaling, but I have no patience for people who are dilly dallying at stoplights and I will lay on the horn. I speed ridiculously if I’m going home late at night from the office. If I were to get stopped for going 65 in a 45, “super speeder” is the only thing they can get me for, or “aggressive driving” (that is a legit charge in GA, but that would probably be dropped since usually that involves getting very personally aggressive or showing a gun or something).

I also hate the people who block the exits from my office building (it’s a 10 foot driveway type thing that is large enough for two cars on each side of a low dividing wall) waiting to pick people up - they stack themselves two deep and are there forever, since that exit from the office building also serves a very chic French restaurant and a multi-million dollar condo.

Sometimes, if those fuckers are blocking my precious way home with their Ferraris at 11 pm, I’ll drive down the entrance, since it is both a clear view of no one coming, and the restaurant is closing, that’s why they are all lined up blocking the exit.

Yes, I take out some life frustrations while driving. 

[James Arryn]

I agree it’s not exactly as bad as driving drunk, but it’s so little difference as to not matter, legally or ethically. Maybe the advantage of removing the % of drunk accidents that were down to drunk + aggression/rage/etc. 

Edited February 19 by James Arryn

[Rippounet]

Yes. You can do a lot of things after a joint, but driving well is unlikely to be one of them. And the people who claim they can do it are the ones I'd be especially suspicious of.
Though I should add, over-confidence is far more likely when boozed. Most stoners I know definitely don't want to drive after smoking in the first place ; they'd rather sit on the couch and deal with the munchies while watching cartoons.

[Larry of the Lawn]

The numbers I remember seeing are that stoned drivers are twice as likely to get into an accident as sober drivers.  Drunk drivers are 10 to 15 times as likely as a sober drivers to get in an accident. 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

3 minutes ago, Larry of the Lake said:

The numbers I remember seeing are that stoned drivers are twice as likely to get into an accident as sober drivers.  Drunk drivers are 10 to 15 times as likely as a sober drivers to get in an accident. 

Still not good numbers.  But it explains this lady deploying the “Fallacy of Relative Privation” in response.

[Larry of the Lawn]

21 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Still not good numbers.  But it explains this lady deploying the “Fallacy of Relative Privation” in response.

Not good.  But not the same department as alcohol either.  

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

21 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Still not good numbers.  But it explains this lady deploying the “Fallacy of Relative Privation” in response.

Hold on… for clarity… you aren’t arguing it is okay to get high while driving or to get high and then drive, correct?

[Larry of the Lawn]

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Hold on… for clarity… you aren’t arguing it is okay to get high while driving or to get high and then drive, correct?

It's only ok to drive high if you're already drunk or actively drinking.

edit: ok that was facetious.  i'm assuming you were replying to me even though you quoted yourself?  how about this - where is the fallacy of privation argument shes making?

at no point did i say it was a good idea to drive stoned.  i said it's not the same department as alcohol.

Edited February 21 by Larry of the Lake

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

And yes.  I did mean to quote you not myself… sorry.

[BigFatCoward]

if you ever want to see how much booze affects your driving, go on your computer and play a car racing game sober and then pissed and compare lap times, its absolutely insane how much difference their is. 

[Tywin et al.]

10 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

if you ever want to see how much booze affects your driving, go on your computer and play a car racing game sober and then pissed and compare lap times, its absolutely insane how much difference their is. 

Psh, I'm weaving through the streets like a madman playing GTA while faded.

[Jace, Extat]

6 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Psh, I'm weaving through the streets like a madman playing GTA while faded.

I loved GTA Online before it was decimated by hacks and bugs 

The heists were like everything I ever wanted from one of those MMO's. Instead of Gear Grinding and whatever and whatever Destiny was stupposed to be. 

It was also basically fucking impossible to get people to have enough attention span to actually finish one of 'em tho